Howard Harris

Howard R. Harris, 86, of Webster City, died Sunday, March 4, 2012 at the Van Diest Medical Center. Funeral services will be held at 1:00 p.m. Wednesday at the Foster Chapel, with Connie Dietlein and Sheri Connelly officiating. Burial will be in the Graceland Cemetery. Visitation will be at the Foster Funeral and Cremation Center from 11:00 a.m. until service time. Howard Robert Harris, son of Clifford and Hazel Halsted Harris, was born April 15, 1925 at Colesburg, Iowa. He received his education at Colesburg and Sloane Wallace High School in Waterloo. During W.W. II, he served with the U.S. Army's 37th Infantry Division as a scout for 23 months in the Asiatic Pacific Theater. Cpl Harris earned the Combat Infantryman's Badge on Bougainville, New Guinea. In addition, he participated in the Philippine Campaign, landing in the Leyte Gulf and battling all the way to Manila where he was one the first soldiers to breach the Walled City. He was united in marriage to Dorothy Anderson and to this union two sons and a daughter were born. The couple resided in Waterloo where he was a welder for Rath Packing Company until his retirement in 1985. On November 3, 1979, he married Edna Helen Dontje at Waterloo. The couple then moved to Webster City. Howard remained active in his welding trade by repairing farm implements and assisting in the construction of buildings with steel girders. Howard and Edna were devout Christians. She died October 2, 2011 after a lengthy illness. Howard continued to live in Webster City. Howard is survived by sons and daughter-in-law, Howard (Bob) and Anne Harris of Urbandale; Dan Harris of Webster City; daughter and son-in-law, Kathy and Marvin Edens of Peru, Il; nine grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren. In addition to his wife, he was preceded in death by his parents. He was a member of American Legion Post # 191. Write a personal tribute or light a virtual candle for the Harris family at www.fosterfuneralandcremation.com