Howard John Haddock passed away peacefully at his home on October 14th, surrounded by his family. Howard was born in Paulsboro, New Jersey on July 11, 1936, the second child and only son of his eternally proud and loving parents Howard A. and Dorothy Silvey Haddock. He graduated from Paulsboro High School in 1953 and promptly thereafter, and with only the tepid acquiescence of his parents, enlisted in the U.S. Army at the tender age of 17. After basic training in Fort Dix, New Jersey, Howard was stationed at the 60th Regiment Headquarters in Heilbronn, Germany where he served as a Morse Code Operator. He was honorably discharged in 1956 and matriculated at Valparaiso University in Northern Indiana that same year, a school and a town before which he had never visited and chose from a brochure given to him by a fellow soldier during his service in Germany. During college, Howard was a founding member of the Beta Tau Chapter of the Sigma Pi Fraternity and in 1960 he graduated from Valparaiso with B.S. in Electrical Engineering.
In September of 1960, Howard began his career as a professional engineer employed by the Owens-Illinois Corporation in Glassboro, New Jersey. In 1961 and at his work, he met and subsequently married his wife and life partner, Joan Helen Wilson. Between 1966 and 1969 Howard accepted a series of promotional assignments with Owens-Illinois in Birmingham, Alabama, Toledo, Ohio, The Bahamas, and finally Orange, Texas, which became the permanent family home. After leading the construction of the #5 Paper Machine, one of the largest projects of its kind at the time located in Evadale, Texas, Howard retired in 2002.
Howard and Joan relocated to Rockwall, Texas in 2003 to spend their retirement years closer to family. In these later years, Howard was active in local and national politics as a member of the Rockwall County Republican Men’s Club. In 2013 he found one of two later in life passions when he began volunteering at the George W. Bush Presidential Library in Dallas, Texas. Serving as both a docent and special events volunteer, Howard enjoyed numerous and especially rewarding political and personal experiences, ones he considered to be the highlights of his life outside of his family. Also in 2013, he began the second, faithfully serving each year as Course Marshal for the Byron Nelson Golf Tournament, a position he dutifully fulfilled through 2021.
During his life Howard visited all 50 of the United States and visited 45 different countries, each location carefully documented with a colored push pin on a large map entitled “The World Travels of Howard J. Haddock” that adorns his home office. Consistent with his political interests, he was also proud of his exclusive lifetime Republican voting record.
Only a few weeks ago, and in keeping with his meticulous nature, Howard penned a handwritten letter outlining the facts and details to be included in the preceding chronology of his life. What he did not include in that note, unspoken, and certainly by his design, was his true life legacy – his deep and abiding love for his family and close friends. With befitting humility, he left these most important details to the memory of his family, to be informed by his life together with them and punctuated through a series of heartfelt conversations in his last days. His family remains eternally blessed that circumstance afforded these beautiful moments and for the enduring memories that they lovingly and forever sealed into their hearts.
Those who knew him well knew that Howard felt deeply for those in his care and concern. So overwhelming was the depth of his love for those closest to him that he often found mere words to be insufficient. Instead, he expressed his love through an attentiveness felt in his presence and always conveyed in the warmth in his eyes. The life legacy of Howard J. Haddock are these moments and the memorial to his life they leave behind.
Howard is survived by Joan, his beloved wife of 60 years, his sister and lifelong champion, Dorothy Range of Clarksboro, New Jersey, his children Tim Haddock (Andrea) of St. Petersburg, Florida, David Haddock (Kate) of Greenville, South Carolina and Allison Deen (Eddie) of Rockwall, Texas, his nine grandchildren, of whom he was eternally proud and devoted a special and endearing love, Olivia Haddock-Carter, John Haddock, Sam Haddock, Emma Haddock, Lucas Haddock, Ryan Haddock, Abigail Deen, Elijah Deen, Edison Deen, and numerous nieces and nephews and their children who he loved and enjoyed.
Funeral services will be held 11:00am Saturday, October 29, 2022, at First United Methodist Church in Rockwall, TX. Interment will take place following the service at 2:00pm in Rest Haven Memorial Park. A gathering of family and friends will be held one hour prior to the funeral service from 10:00am to 11:00am at the church. Memorial contributions may be made to the First United Methodist Church-Rockwall locations building fund.
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