Howard also deeply loved music and cars, sparking a lifelong passion. His first set of drums were a custom a set, hand-drawn on the bed sheet, consequently infuriating his mother. Howard jumped on the road in his early 20s with a traveling band that afforded him the opportunity to play all over the state of Iowa. Despite eventually retiring from the road, his love for drumming continued when he joined the church band, maybe his favorite audience to ever play for.

His close relationship with the Lord remained a constant and attending church was a high priority, growing nearer and nearer to God once diagnosed with cancer the first time and every time subsequent. In the face of his biggest adversity yet, Howard completed treatments with grace and tenacity. The Lord continued to anoint healing for Howard, guided his mindset, offered him clarity and hope. Howard remained ever positive and driven to beat the disease, never giving up his fight or his will.

In 1973, Howard became a father for the first time when his wife Debbie gave birth to a little girl, Randi Jo. In 1987, his second wife, Shelly, gave birth to another girl, Leslie Anne. When he married Cathy in August of 2000, he gained two stepsons, Jamie and Joe. Cathy’s youngest, Joe, lived at home and would grow to become the son Howard never had and always wanted. Always wanting that boy, he successfully raised his two girls to be tomboys in the meantime.

Never knowing a stranger, friends came easily and, with them, meaningful lifetime friendships. Quick to assist friends in need, Howard was never too shy to jump on a roof and lay shingle, build custom bicycles, or invent new tools, all of which he did meticulously. Even the rhubarb he planted was a success. His favorite food in the world was the crepes Cathy would make that included a homemade rhubarb sauce from his very own plants.

This wonderful man is survived by his wife, Cathy Shelley; daughter, Randi Marley (husband, Jared); daughter, Leslie Foster (husband, Damon); stepsons Jamie Rossi and Joe Michaud; three beautiful grandchildren, Taylor Phillips, Hayden Marley, and Paisley Marley; three amazing great-grandchildren, Marley, Hartley, and Casen Phillips; his siblings, brother, Don Shelley (wife, Gail) ; sister, Gloria Keltner (husband, Connie); brother, Gary Shelley (wife, Barb); and numerous nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his father, Howard L. Shelley; mother, Gloria Shelley (Navas); and brother, Leslie Shelley.