Creighton Elliot Howard

Creighton Elliot Howard

June 6, 1955 – July 3, 2024

Creighton was born in Dallas, Texas on June 6, 1955 to Clinton Hugh Howard and Katheryn Rose Lucas. He has now joined his mom, Rose and his dad, Clint in heaven where they are sharing stories and laughing about all the good times. And likely, Creighton is sharing his love of automobiles in one way or another.

Creighton spent his childhood and young adulthood in Irving, Texas. He attended Plymouth Park Elementary School, Crockett Junior High School and Irving High School class of 1973. He made many good friends in Irving and stayed close to all of them over the years.

Creighton was an avid car enthusiast and owned many cars in his lifetime. Some say upwards of 50! He always joked that if he had just kept a few of them he could have retired and lived off of the proceeds. He also collected model cars and built model car kits. At one point he had almost 500 of them! In addition, he had 5 subscriptions for car magazines and read every one of them. Friends and family always called Creighton when they were buying a new car and he was delighted to give them advice. His passion was always cars from the time he was a young boy.

In January of 1987, Creighton met the love of his life, Kathy. The two of them met through mutual friends and quickly realized that they were very attracted to one another and ready to settle down and get married. Creighton and Kathy were married 6 weeks later on St. Patrick’s Day, 37 years ago, after a few green beers for courage!

Creighton and Kathy began their married life in Irving. At the time, Creighton was working for Gaynor and Sirmen as a draftsman. He was there from 1979 to 1988. He loved his job there and was always happy when one of the engineers specifically asked for him because his drawings were so good.

In the summer of 1989 Creighton enrolled at the University of Dallas in Irving. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Politics in May of 1992. He continued his education at UD and graduated with an MBA in International Management in August of 1993. Creighton began his career as the Director of Operations at his dad’s company, RBC (Royal Body Care) an International Nutrition and Skincare Company.

In 1997, each following their respective careers, Creighton and Kathy moved to Chicago, Illinois where he worked for Bell & Howell as a Director of Purchasing. In 2000, they moved to Green Bay, Wisconsin and Creighton landed a position at Gannett Wisconsin as Director of Purchasing.

Creighton and Kathy enjoyed their time in Wisconsin. Being close to Kathy’s family was certainly a bonus. In addition to their home in Green Bay, they owned a condo in Door County and spent most weekends there admiring the beautiful views of Lake Michigan. However, the long winters and heavy snowfall in Green Bay began to wear on them. So it wasn’t surprising when they decided to retire and move to Asheville, North Carolina in 2019. Creighton enjoyed 5 years in the mountains driving his cars on narrow switch back roads at speeds that delighted him. He had many friends in Asheville that were neighbors who got together regularly just to have fun and have a margarita or two! He is missed by all who knew him. Creighton touched people with his smile, he loved deeply, and was always willing to lend a helping hand.

Creighton is survived by his wife Kathy Friedland-Howard and 5 siblings. Katherine Howard-Cooper, Andrew (Cynthia) Howard, Michelle Howard, Brian (Angela) Howard and Carolyn (Mark) Rachaner. Additionally, he is survived by his dad’s wife, Kathy Howard and 12 nieces and nephews.

Friends and family will be gathering at the Las Colinas Country Club in Irving to Celebrate Creighton’s Life on September 14 at 3pm.