Howard was born at home on June 22, 1926 in Gardner, KS to Walter Stanley and Iva Sawalich. He was the eldest of five children: Howard, Helen, Josephine, Frances and Walter. He is survived by his wife Wilma; stepdaughter Cecilia Clingenpeel; sisters Josephine Burnett (Charles) and Frances Brown (Thomas); and nephews and nieces. Preceding him in death were Howard’s father and mother; first wife, Phillis; sister Helen Reynolds, brother-in-law, Norman Reynolds; brother Walter Carl Sawalich, sister-inlaw Donnette Sawalich; and nephew, Nolan Reynolds. Howard grew up in Gardner, KS during the Depression Era. One summer afternoon when he was 12, his family’s house exploded in flames ignited by a kerosene stove fire. Howard ran back inside,saving only a rocking chair and a box of winter clothing. His father walked home from work that day to find home and possessions burnt to the ground but grateful that his young family was safe. Despite the challenges of life then, Howard and his siblings enjoyed a close bond and happy childhood. He never forgot the memory of sitting on the back porch at age five, listening while his father painted a vivid picture of living forever in a Paradise earth. His parents (having been contacted by a couple who were full-time volunteer ministers) eagerly studied and accepted the Bible’s message. Along with them, Howard was baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses at age 11 in 1938. That began an 80-year-long course of unending dedicated service to Jehovah God. From his youth, Howard took the responsibility of upholding Bible truth seriously. When he was just 12, he and his father appeared before the local school board, defending the expulsion of his siblings from public school over the flag salute issue. Later, because of his Bible-trained conscience, he took his stand on Christian neutrality during World War II. As a result, he was sentenced and served two years of a four-year term (1945 to 1946) in the federal prison at Reno, OK, along with many other faithful Witness brothers. While Howard completed his secular education in a one-room schoolhouse in 1939, it was theocratic education that he treasured. Next to the Bible, some of his most prized possessions were books like Children, given to him by Joseph F. Rutherford at the 1941 St. Louis, MO convention. Another highlight was the unforgettable instruction he received at the Gilead Missionary School in South Lansing, NY (30th Class, graduated February 1958). Howard loved people and sharing what he learned with others. He spent 26 years as a full-time volunteer minister with his first wife, Phillis (married 1944) - from regular pioneering in 1948, to special pioneering in 1954, and then serving almost 16 years in the traveling work from 1956 to 1974. Their service took them across country - from congregations in KS and IA to circuits in NJ, OH, MI, IL, Washington DC and the Delmarva Peninsula, before returning to Kansas City, KS. Even after leaving circuit work because of Phillis’ failing health (she later died in 1990), Howard found satisfaction in serving as a congregation elder, a city overseer and a circuit assembly overseer. He found a faithful partner when he married Wilma Ledgett in 1990. Together, they have been like pillars in the Westview Congregation in Olathe, KS. Having a special fondness for children and those "young" in their Christian course, Howard felt a responsibility to pass on a spiritual heritage to the next generations. He tried to be a good shepherd of Jehovah’s flock under his care and he was an active Kingdom proclaimer down to the end. In the last 25 years, Howard worked for the First Student school bus company. He was a driver and conducted various trainings, teaching CPR classes even through this year. He received a number of awards and acknowledgements for his achievements. Just like those conversations with his father so long ago, the Bible’s message of a better future always burned brightly in his mind’s eye. In the last few years, he offered comfort to others in a public talk he especially enjoyed giving about the resurrection promise. Howard fell asleep in death on August 16, 2018. We are confident that he is in Jehovah God’s unfailing memory. So that, by means of Christ Jesus, Howard will wake up from his deep sleep and pick up where he left off - learning and teaching, loving and living in a Paradise Earth

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Howard Sawalich Obituary | Cremation Center of Kansas City