Dr. Frank H. Howard

Dr. Frank Huston Howard, 87, passed away peacefully on Sunday, September 30, 2018 at his home in Shawnee, OK. Funeral services will take place on Thursday, October 4, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, 301 N. Beard Avenue, Shawnee, OK and burial will follow in Resthaven Memorial Park, 44909 Highway 3, Shawnee, OK. Walker Funeral Service is in charge of arrangements. The family will receive visitors at the funeral home from 5:30-7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 3, 2018.Frank was born April 25, 1931 in McAlester, OK to F.S. and Ann Howard. Frank attended and graduated from Holdenville High School in Holdenville, OK. He attended the University of Oklahoma in Norman, OK, followed by the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine in Oklahoma City, OK where he graduated at the top of his class in 1956. He completed his internship at John Sealy Hospital in Galveston, TX where he met and married Shirley Ann Roan. He completed his residency at Oklahoma Memorial Hospital in Oklahoma City, OK. He then moved to Alamogordo, NM where he was a captain in the U.S. Air Force. During that time, he volunteered for NASA’s program testing G-Force on the human body. After serving three years in the U.S. Air Force, he moved his family to Shawnee, OK in 1963 where he began to practice medicine at ACH Hospital. He practiced medicine in Shawnee, OK, from 1963 until he retired in 1996. He was a founding father of Shawnee Medical Center in 1967 (now SSM St. Anthony Hospital Medical Center – Shawnee). After the death of his first wife, Shirley, in October of 1990, he met and married the second love of his life, Betty Arlene Turner. They were married July 24, 1992 until his death. As a general surgeon, he saved many lives, touched many lives and served his community well for 33 years. After retiring he became a talented and highly regarded fine art painter and traveled often to Santa Fe, NM to enjoy fine art from around the world. He loved Crested Butte, CO and vacationed there frequently over the course of his life. He was a multi-faceted man: loving husband, father and grandfather; physician; founding father of Shawnee Medical Center; painter; lover of fine art; avid snow skier; hunter; and devout Christian. He was a member of the Shawnee Rotary Club, Shawnee Lion’s Club, Central Church of Christ, Northridge Church of Christ and St. Paul’s United Methodist Church. His amazing life and legacy will be remembered and cherished for generations to come. He was preceded in death by his father F.S. Howard and mother Ann Howard; first wife Shirley Howard; sister Mary Hellen Rusher; brother Oliver Howard; sister-in-law Teresa Howard; and Betty Howard's daughter-in-law Jessica Turner. He is survived by his wife Betty Howard; his children: daughter Pam Garrett and husband James, daughter Susan Brooks and husband Stephen, son Mark Howard and partner Matthew Osgood; his brother George Howard; Betty’s children: son Brad Turner and wife Robin, son Richard Turner, son Brian Turner and husband Brent Bell; Grandchildren: Dillon Hayden, Matthew Garrett and wife Leslie, Katie Segal and husband Chad, Hannah Lynam and husband Robb, Zachary Turner and wife Shelby, Molly Turner; and four great-grandchildren.