Obituary of David "Dave" Howard

 

May 29, 1955 – July 1, 2026

 

David Howard – known as Dave to most and lovingly called "Bucky" by his grandchildren – passed away on July 1, 2026, at the age of 71. A man of remarkable range and depth, he was a true Renaissance guy: an engineer, entrepreneur, athlete, musician, and devoted husband, father, and grandfather.

 

David was born on May 29, 1955, in Spring Green, Wisconsin, and moved to Milwaukee as a boy. He spent formative time on his grandparents' farm in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin, where he learned the value of hard work that would define him throughout his life. At Nicolet High School, class of 1973, he played on the football team, wrestled, and played the trombone. He attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he rowed on the crew team, and earned his degree in engineering from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.

 

David met Ellen in Milwaukee in 1977, beginning a whirlwind courtship. After a first date on January 6, the couple became engaged on February 1 and married on August 20 of that same year. Together they shared nearly 49 years of marriage, and he made Ellen laugh every day of them.

 

David and Ellen raised their beloved daughters in Whitefish Bay until 1987, when they moved to Loveland, Colorado. They later settled in Broomfield in 2011 and in Denver in 2019. A devoted and hardworking provider, David put the roofs on the first two homes he and Ellen owned, one of many reflections of his determination to do things well and do them himself.

 

David built a distinguished career in engineering and technology. He worked at Colorado Memory Systems and Hewlett-Packard before founding his own company, 1Vision Software, specializing in backup, data management, and storage software. He raised 5 million dollars in venture capital and grew the company to over 30 employees. He later worked at Pillar Data and then at Oracle, where he served as Vice President of SAN before retiring in 2017. A brilliant inventor, David held several United States patents in the field of persistent file systems.

 

A gifted athlete, David enjoyed nearly every sport throughout his life. He finished two marathons, the Milwaukee Lakefront and the Pikes Peak. Following his diagnosis with Parkinson's disease in 2011, he took up boxing as part of his fight against the disease, training at the Salvation Army and Parkinson's Pointe. He exercised nearly every day. In 2021 he underwent two brain surgeries for Deep Brain Stimulation. Throughout his courageous battle, he generously mentored others who had been newly diagnosed, offering them encouragement and hope.

 

Music was a lifelong joy. David played trombone and sang with the Colorado Swing Band, and he shared his musical gifts at King of Glory Lutheran Church in Loveland. He also had a deep appreciation for cars, owning and lovingly caring for 27 of them over the years. Fittingly, it was Ellen's green Toyota Celica that first caught his eye when they met.

 

David traveled to more than ten countries, both for work and for pleasure, but his favorite journeys always involved fishing. He cast his line in Alaska, Key West, Norway, and Wisconsin, and treasured his trips to Lake Savant in Ontario, Canada — reachable only by seaplane — where he fished alongside his father and friends.

 

In the last year and a half of his life, David formed warm friendships with the caregivers at the Sunrise assisted living community, who cared for him with extraordinary kindness and compassion. He, in turn, brightened their days with his warmth and witty sense of humor.

David will be remembered as brilliant, generous, hardworking, and courageous — a devoted husband, a loving father and grandfather, and a friend to all who knew him.

 

He was preceded in death by his parents, Marjorie (Helmeid) and Homer Howard. He is survived by his wife, Ellen Howard; his sister, Diane Fritz of Minnesota; his daughters, Christina Howard Barrios and Elizabeth Salvia; and his four grandchildren, Jack, Cal, Jett, and Adelyn. It was Jack, his eldest grandchild, who lovingly gave him the name "Bucky," a tribute to the University of Wisconsin's beloved mascot, Bucky Badger.

 

A service will be held at a later date. Details will be announced.

 

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be made in David's memory to the Parkinson's Association of the Rockies.