Ray Howell

MEMORIAL SERVICE: SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3, 20162:00 P.M.MCCLAIN-HAYS CHAPELVISITATION: SATURDAY,DECEMBER 3, 201612 NOON UNTIL SERVICE TIMEINTERMENT:CEDARLAWN CEMETERYOFFICIATING:REV. CHRIS YOUNG Ray Howell was a lifelong native and resident of Philadelphia, MS.  Along with twin-brother Roy and older brothers, Harold and Boots, they were collectively known as “Those Howell Boys!”  Early formative years were framed by The Great Depression, leading into The New Deal Era and World War 2.  Ray’s passion for music and playing trumpet was born at a very young age, when he and his brothers were encouraged by their Father, “Mr. Ben”, to learn brass and drum instruments.  Their musical prowess developed rather quickly, as the spirit of camaraderie and competition among them was relatively fierce!   Ray and his Brothers would entertain the neighborhood with frequent jam sessions; which soon led to the first organized Performing Orchestra in town.  After learning his eldest brother Harold and Bomber Crew had been shot down over The North Sea, perishing in the dark icy depths in WW2, Ray eagerly joined and served in the U. S. Army Air Corps.  Ray’s military service consisted of training and missions at various stations throughout the continental U. S., but no overseas deployment.  His time in the Army Air Corps cultivated a love of flying, which would serve him well in his construction career in later years.  Like many other returning servicemen, Ray furthered his education via the G. I. Bill, attending East Central Community College. For a time, Ray had toyed with the possibility of pursuing a professional musical career, but this dream was soon supplanted when he was swept off his feet by a local Beauty with Real Intellect and Superior Charm.  In 1949, Ray married the “Girl of His Dreams”, Sara Peebles.  The Booming Post-War Economy beckoned Ray’s talents to be nurtured and applied in the Family Construction Business.  Ray and his brother Bootsy assumed the helm of their father’s (B. L. Howell) construction company.  Throughout the 50’s, 60’s, and into the 70’s, under Boots’ and Ray’s stewardship, and often with the help of twin-brother Roy’s (now a brilliant Structural Engineer) contributions, B. L. Howell & Sons Construction Company created an impressive legacy of buildings:  County courthouses, public schools, gymnasiums and band halls; the School of Archaeology on the MSU campus; on into Florida, where they built the illustrious “Five Flags Inn” motel, which they owned and operated for many years; and other buildings too numerous to list.  Ray re-certified for his small engine pilot’s license in the 1960’s, frequently flying to check on various job sites.  During the mid-60’s Ray served on the State Board of Building Contractors; representing Mississippi at the National Contractors Convention in Hawaii in 1965.  He and Sara immersed themselves in the Tropical Paradisiacal Hawaiian Culture.  Ray and Boots, and Roy in his field, were recognized and received various prestigious awards in construction and design over the years.  Ray and his brothers provided long-term employment for many people and were a Beacon of Opportunity and Hope and Fairness.  Throughout the 1960’s, when the little town of Philadelphia, MS, found itself “Ground Zero” in the exploding Civil Rights Struggle, the Ray Howell home was a sort-of “Safety Zone” and Friend to local Civil Rights Activist and Author, Florence Mars, and others.  Ray’s beloved home in the Woodland Hills neighborhood was his Pride & Joy; way ahead of its time in overall design; thanks in large part to brother Roy’s innovative structural engineering design.  Particularly, in the early years, enthralled visitors would be treated to a grand tour of Ray’s masterpiece home; followed, of course, by sumptuous feasts of Ray Howell’s famous boiled fresh shrimp, oysters and, his renowned specialty:  Shish-ka-bob..!  He absolutely loved entertaining family and guests. Cherished and Loved by a Large, Extended Family and So Many Friends for his biting, sardonic wit and gregarious humor most prominently on display at the Neshoba County Fair, he built the first Fair Cabin on Happy Hollow, #232.  Ray assumed a “Larger Than Life” Persona at The Fair, on Happy Hollow, entertaining neighbors, friends and guests with his swinging trumpet playing and off-color stories, which, once experienced, kept visitors hungry for more! More importantly, Ray Howell’s Big Gracious Heart, Prodigious Talent and Humor, endeared him to So Many, in a World that Needs what He Had, So Much…!  May Mr. Howell’s Light Shine On…! Mr. Ray Howell, 91, of Philadelphia, died Tuesday, November 29, 2016, at Mississippi State Veterans Home in Kosciusko, MS. Survivors include his sons, Carl Howell (Anne) of Cary, NC, and Harold Howell of Philadelphia; daughter, Debbie Howell of Hattiesburg; eight grandchildren, Justin Short, Carlton Howell, Ben Howell, Claire Howell Simmons, Kevin Strange, Alec Howell, Helen Howell Priest and Samuel Howell; three great-grandchildren, Sara Howell, Jackson Simmons and Woodrow Howell; and a host of nieces and nephews. Mr. Howell was preceded in death by wife, Sara Howell; daughter, Janie Howell Strange; and brothers, Harold Howell, Gerald “Boots” Howell and Roy Howell. In lieu of flowers family requests donations to be sent to Quality Hospice Care, P.O. Box 517, Philadelphia, MS  39350.