Howard Lee Strong, 88, passed away at his home in Hutchinson, Kansas on October 11, 2021. He was the son of Raymond and Julia Elizabeth Able Strong, and was born on June 6, 1933 in Florence. He was a retired over the road truck driver having spent 27 years traveling the blacktops of our American highways.
Howard was a man with a keen eye for details- that was evident in his ability to master word search puzzles. Any one that would go to visit or even call him would find him watching his beloved WWE or All-Star wrestling at all hours of the day. There was never any " grey" areas for Howard- everything was " black and white." Even with his choices of food he was straight forward - the family shared that there was never anything good about " boiled meat." One time he was asked about having chicken and noodles- noticing that the chicken had been boiled, he picked out the chicken and gave it to Donna and ate nothing but the noodles and the mashed potatoes. He taught his family work ethic- he did whatever he had to do to provide for them whether it was " scrappin, junkin, or recycling." His son, Allen, shared that " Dad was a simple but dignified man- he knew what he wanted and he made plans on how to obtain it, in his own way he took time to protect us all." Dad was a regular at the truck stops everyday having coffee and "holding court" for all those he encountered.
On December 20, 1994, he married the love of his life, Donna Louise Cotter and she passed away this past March.
He is survived by his children, Allen Strong of Bella Vista, AR, Gary Strong of Hutchinson, and Glenn Strong of Hutchinson, Rhonda Miles of Salina, and Brenda Freeman of Brookville; 8 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren.
A visitation from 9:00 - 1:00 p.m. will be held on October 19, 2021 at Old Mission-Heritage Funeral Home, 528 North Main Street, Hutchinson, Kansas with a graveside service at 2:00 p.m. at Fairlawn Burial Park, 2401 Carey Blvd., Hutchinson, Kansas.