Robert D. Howell was called home to be with the Lord on August 6th, 2025, at the age of 85.  He was born on January 18th, 1940, in Memphis, Tennessee to Marguerite (Byrd) and James W Howell.

Bob grew up in the Binghampton neighborhood in Memphis and was to attend Douglas High School.  However, he followed his brother's advice for a longer bus ride to Central High School where he graduated from in 1958.  With some "not so subtle encouragement" from his father, Bob enlisted in the US Navy in 1957, and his 2 years of active-duty service began in 1960.  He served on the aircraft carriers USS Shangri-La and USS Saratoga.

After his service, Bob attended Southern Methodist University in 1963 where he met the love of his life, Sandra Ross, and earned a degree in Industrial Engineering in 1967.  After graduating, Bob's professional career took him from being a civil servant at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City to Texas Instruments in Dallas.  In 1971 he was offered and accepted a position with Baxter where he worked until retiring in 1998.

Bob is survived by his wife of 61 years Sandra (Ross) Howell and their children, James, Caroline, and Joshua (Jackie) and three wonderful granddaughters. Bob was preceded in death by his parents, his sister Beth, and brother James (Pam).

Visitation will be Saturday, August 16, 2025 from 9:00am-10:00am with funeral beginning at 10:00am. Both held at Harmony Heights Baptist Church in Joplin, MO.

Interment will follow at Ozark Memorial Park Cemetery.

You may give contributions, in memory of Bob, by clicking on the Memorial Donation tab below.