Rodney "Howie" Murl Howe, 70, of Wilton, passed away on March 7, 2018 at his home in Wilton. Memorial services will be held 11:00 AM Monday, March 12 ^th at Sunne Lutheran Church of rural Wilton, ND with Pastor Paul Schauer officiating. Inurnment will be held at a later date. A prayer service will be held at 5:00 PM Sunday at Sunne Lutheran Church followed by visitation until 7:00 PM.

Rodney was born in Bismarck, ND to William and Eloise Howe on December 20, 1947. He was raised in Bismarck with his 6 siblings along the Missouri River, where he loved to swim, fish and hunt. He attended Bismarck High School until the age of 16. He dropped out to help provide for his family after his father passed away. He graduated from NDSCS in 1977 with a degree in Plumbing. While attending school he also participated in NDSCS stage band as the Lead Drummer, a passion that stuck with him the rest of his life. As a younger man he followed his nomadic spirit and found himself in L.A., employed as a beet farmer, then a towel boy at a carwash. He hitchhiked back to North Dakota; only to follow his brother to Kodiak Island, Alaska to work in the crab industry.

Rodney met Colleen Kassian, while living in Wilton, ND. This was to be the last great love of his life. They married in Las Vegas in 1983 and he became the permanent father to her daughter, Casey. Nine months later another daughter, Rebecca, was added to their family in 1984, and then a third daughter, Rachel, in 1985. In later years he sat his girls down to inform them of their brother, Kent, and the two grandsons he gave him, Kelyn and Jalen, which was a very welcomed surprise.

Howie was a Union Pipefitter for over 30 years, working the outages for the gas plant and power plants in the area and traveling for work in numerous states across the country. He retired in 2012 and was excited for more free time to enjoy his extra-curricular activities.

Rockin' Rod had many hobbies when he didn't have a regular 9 to 5 "J.O.B." he was always up for a "quick game" of cribbage, where he would tell you one of his many detailed stories of hunting mule deer in the Badlands with his best friends. He was usually up for any board game and loved especially to play with his grandsons, as they were convinced they were on grandpa's team when playing monopoly. Eventually everyone learned grandpa was ruthless.

Rodney was a wonderful husband and father, yet it wasn't until he stopped being outnumbered by the girls that he was most happy. Casey gave him the gift of a grandson, Seth, he couldn't have been more proud of the man he has become. Seth followed in grandpa's footsteps by taking up the drums, giving him the honor of being called "Ginger Baker." Later joining the ranks was his son-in-law, Ben, who was constantly asked about if he wasn't present. After Ben's marriage to Rebecca, another grandson followed, Gus, who was frequently referred to by Rodney as "my boy!" These were the years of Rodney's life when he would say things like, "We've got to stick together, these girls will take charge if we let them."

No matter what was happening in Rodney's life, he had time for a beer, a smoke, or a cup of coffee as long as he could share it over a good conversation with someone he loved. He made time for everyone and had a story for any situation. He was a man of many words and yet it's the three simplest ones that he used to constantly remind his friends and family that he would always have a full heart, "I love you."

Rodney is survived by his wife, Colleen (Kassian) Howe of Wilton; 4 children, Kent Fischer of Minneapolis, MN, Casey Howe, Rebecca (Ben) Perkerewicz, & Rachel Howe, all of Wilton, ND; 4 grandchildren, Seth Howe-Kellar, Augustus Perkerewicz, Jalen and Kelyn Fisher; one sister, Vicki Skoog of Minneapolis, MN; and one brother, Frank Howe of Bismarck.