Howard Harold Ball

Howard Harold Ball was born at Humansville, Missouri on April 17, 1922 to Thomas Moore and Hazel M. Ball and passed away August 3, 2014 at the Big Spring Care Center in Humansville, Missouri. Early in Howard's life Hazel would marry Bryce Potts. Bryce was Howard's father in his youth and Howard would be care provider for Bryce the last decade of his life. The would have lunch each day and Bryce would take vacations with Howard and Sybil each year. Howard would attend Pleasant Valley School for 2 years which was a one room school 2 miles north of Humansville on highway 13, then began the third grade in Humansville where he completed his education. When Howard was 15 he would run a milk route and deliver their customer's milk to the local cheese plant in Humansville while Bryce would pickup and deliver the more distant customer's milk to the cheese plant. He would then rush to class. Howard would meet his wife Sybil B. Kirkpatrick when they were juniors at high school where both were active in school sports. Howard was the basketball Captain his senior year when the team would travel up to 100 miles for games. They had a good basketball team. Howard and Sybil were married December 18, 1941 only 11 days after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and they were married for almost 70 years. Their son Dwayne would be born in 1942 only a month prior to Howard's joining the Army Air Force where he would spend the next 4 years involved in World War II stationed in Kansas, South Dakota, Texas, California, Washington and New Jersey. On his last station he was scheduled to be sent to the European Campaign when World War II ended. While at Fort Lewis Washington for 2 years Sybil would join him as she had a brother and two sisters living in Seattle. In 1944 their daughter Karen was born one month premature on the eve of the Allies landing on the beaches of Europe. This had to have been a trying time for all families in this time of war. Howard and Sybil purchased a farm and would live there for 59 years. At first they milked cows until the early 1960's when they converted to a cow/calf operation. This was where they would raise their family. Dwayne and Karen would attend the same school in Humansville as their parents and be involved in the same activities as their parents had been. Howard joined the Army Reserves after being discharged from the service and spent the next 30 years in the reserves. This gave him a chance to meet hundreds of young men in the four county area and help train them to be first class soldiers as they would spend 4 to 8 years in the Army Reserves training at B Battery in Bolivar and Springfield. Howard was saved, baptized and is a member of the Humansville Baptist Church. He taught Sunday School several years for the youth group. He was preceded in death by his parents and wife Sybil. Howard is survived by his son Dwayne Ball and his wife Charlene of Clever, Missouri; daughter Karen Crozier and her husband Bob of Greenfield, Missouri; grandchildren Todd Ball, Dr. Beth Ann Crozier-Dodson and her husband Mike, Bill Crozier and his wife Roxanne; great-grandchildren Olivia Ball, Trenton Ball, twins Adrian and Emily Crozier. Per Howard's wishes cremation has taken place. A memorial service will be held 6:00 PM Friday, August 8, 2014 at the Murray Funeral Home in Humansville. Inurnment will take place in the Humansville Cemetery. Memorials in Howard's memory are suggested to the Humansville Alumni Association Scholarship Fund % Murray Funeral Home, PO Box 264, Humansville, MO 65674. Online condolences may be submitted at www.murrayfuneralhomes.com. PDF Printable Version

Howard Harold Ball

April 17, 1922 - August 3, 2014