Taftsville, Vermont

Arnold "Arnie" E. Howe died peacefully on Thursday evening April 19th on his 82nd birthday, at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, NH following a short illness.

He was born on that date in1930 in Springfield, VT on a 500 acre farm where his parents Edward and Hazel (LaCrosse) Howe raised him and nurtured his love of all things agricultural.

Arnie graduated from Springfield High School in 1948. He served in the U.S. Army from 1951 to 1953. He spent 33 years in the active Army Reserves retiring from that duty in 1984 as a Captain, after serving as Company Commander of both the 618th Transportation Co. in White River Jct., and the 368th Engineer Battalion in Rutland.

He married Shirley A. Knapp on June 26, 1954 and together they moved to Shelburne, VT for two years while Arnie attended UVM, graduating in 1956 with a BS in Agriculture.

In July of 1956 he began his teaching career within the Woodstock School system where he taught until his retirement in 1993. Arnie taught Vocational Agriculture, Summer Driving Education, Math, Biology, Adult Farming, and GED evening classes. Arnie was extremely proud to have developed the first horticulture program for high schools in Vermont, which has become a statewide model, as well as the building of the original greenhouse at WUHS that was completed in 1974 with the help of his son David.

Arnie was at various times a member of the Woodstock Planning Commission, the Woodstock Zoning Board of Adjustment, the Woodstock High School Teachers Organization (serving as president in the 60's and 70's), chairman of NEAS&C Evaluations committee, president of the State Vocational Agriculture Teachers Association, member of the Windsor County Extension Service Advisory Board, FFA Advisor, Co-Chair FSA Evaluations, Chairman of the Technology Dept. at WUHS, WUHS Senior Class Advisor, and was director of the Summer Youth Work Experience Program. Beloved by generations of WUHS students, he was selected WUHS Teacher of the year in 1985.
Arnie was also a member of the VT Descendants of the Mayflower, and had great interest in his family's genealogy. He enjoyed hunting and fishing with his children and their children, and lovingly supported all their varied endeavors.

He is survived by his loving wife Shirley of Taftsville, VT, daughter Debra Alessi and her husband Al, son David and his wife Zina, son Ken and his wife Renee, grandchildren Eden, Elizabeth, Josh, Emily, Taylor, Sarah, and Lydia, and several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by two brothers, Warren and Kenneth.

A funeral Mass will be held on Wednesday April 25th at 1:00 pm at Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Church in Woodstock, VT. Burial will be in the Taftsville, Cemetery. There will be no calling hours.

Memorial donations may be made to The WUHS Greenhouse Fund, c/o John Hiers, 496-1 Woodstock Road, Woodstock, VT 05091.