Bobby Lee Howe

Bobby Lee Howe, age 96, passed away peacefully in his home in Salt Lake City on June 13, 2026. He was born on May 26, 1930, in Sterling, Colorado, to Charles and Erma (Northrup) Howe. He was married to the love of his life, JoAnn Measom, on July 18, 1952, and they spent nearly 74 wonderful years together.

Bobby enlisted in the US Navy in 1948 after hitchhiking to Greely from Stoneham, Colorado. He completed basic training in San Diego and then served in the Korean War as a 2nd-class electrician. He enjoyed his time in the Navy and was always proud to tell stories of his time and service to his country. In 1950, he met JoAnn through a mutual friend, and JoAnn knew right away that she was going to marry him. They wrote letters back and forth for over a year until they were married in 1952. Together they spent their life raising their three children while Bobby enjoyed his work as an electrician at Kennecott and for the Utah Railway.

After raising their family and retiring, he and Jo were nearly inseparable. They stayed busy together doing the things they loved: square dancing, Bee’s baseball games, playing cards with friends, Wednesday breakfasts, Howe lunches, family reunions, camp hosting in Price, attending the theater, spoiling their grandkids, and going to Costco for a hot dog.

Bobby was a helper. He offered his time and effort freely and was more than happy to help anyone with anything. He was a jack of all trades and could fix anything with a tube of caulk. He enjoyed tinkering in the garage, woodworking, golfing, and reading everything he could get his hands on. He was a fountain of knowledge and loved telling stories to anyone who would listen; no one was a stranger to Bobby. He was the epitome of a jokester and loved to tease and make people laugh. He loved his grandkids and great-grandkids and looked forward to their visits. He was forever an optimist despite growing up in extremely difficult circumstances. His childhood memories of running the farm with his brother DeDe at the ages of 13 and 11 were some of his favorite stories to tell.

One of Bobby’s proudest achievements was helping revive the Heber Creeper. In 1971, a dedicated group of volunteers was working to restore the train to operation, but they ran into a major obstacle: the locomotive’s wheels had developed flat spots after sitting idle for years. They had the equipment needed to lift the locomotive and repair the wheels, but the machine itself was broken, and no one on the crew knew how to fix it. That’s when they called Bobby. He was the missing piece of the puzzle, and he always took pride in the role he played in bringing the train back to life. As a token of appreciation, he and Jo were rewarded with a free ride on the train—a memory he cherished for years afterward.

He is survived by his wife, JoAnn Measom, son Rick Howe, daughter Cindy Marlowe, brothers Bill Howe, Russell Howe, and Jerry Thomas, nine grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-granddaughter, with another one on the way. He is preceded in death by his parents, siblings Harold Howe, Beth Rudder, Charlsie Rogers, and Duane Howe, daughter Robyn (Kerry) Newbold, and grandsons Jacob and Joshua Newbold.

Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. at 2450 South 600 East, Salt Lake City, Utah. A viewing will be held prior to the service from 10:45 to 11:45 a.m. Interment will follow at Memorial Redwood Cemetery, 6500 South Redwood Road, West Jordan, Utah.

In lieu of flowers, those wishing to express their sympathy may make a contribution to JoAnn.