Born in Montreal in 1908. Howard was always an excellent student and attended McGill University on a scholarship. He earned a degree in engineering. He married Margaret Eileen Towle (known as Eileen), a Montreal teacher, and they had two children, Lawrence and Roberta. Howard spent his career as a heating/ventilating engineer at Canadian Blower & Forge/Canada Pumps. In the late 1970s, Howard and Eileen moved to Toronto to be closer to Roberta and her family. Howard died on December 22, 1992. Eileen died on August 23, 1994.