Richard Harper Howarth, Jr. Services for Richard Harper Howarth, Jr. will be held Saturday, January 21, 2012, at 2:00 p.m. at Saint Paul's Episcopal Church, with the Reverend Brian Ponder officiating. Visitation will begin at noon in the church parish hall. Burial will be at Magnolia Cemetery with Robert Barham Family Funeral Home in charge of the arrangements. Mr. Howarth, 48, died Monday, January 16 in an airplane accident outside of Philadelphia, MS. He was an accomplished pilot, having served as a highly-decorated naval aviator during the Iraq War, and since 1995 as a pilot for Federal Express. Following graduation in 1985 from Virginia Tech with a B.S. degree in Finance, Mr. Howarth worked in the commercial lending department at Chemical Bank in New York for one year. He then began a distinguished career in the U.S. Navy, receiving his wings at NAS Meridian, and later graduating from the Navy Fighter Weapons School (Top Gun). He graduated number one in officer commissioning class, received the Distinguished Naval Graduate Award and also graduated number one from Naval Air Training flight school. Mr. Howarth flew an F-18 during Desert Storm, and led 44 combat missions during that conflict. He was awarded two Air Medals and two Navy Commendation medals with "V" for valor in combat. Upon retiring from active military duty, Mr. Howarth briefly flew commercially for ValuJet Airlines, and for Federal Express since 1995. While at FedEx, Mr. Howarth developed the MD-11 syllabus for training company pilots that is still in use today. He flew several aircraft for FedEx, and was selected to personally train the current cadre of pilot instructors for the company. Mr. Howarth also founded a very successful vegetation management contract services company in 2004. As president of HD Machines, LLC in Meridian, he supervised all aspects of business operations covering thirteen states ranging from the Southeast to the Midwest. Mr. Howarth is survived by his wife Cynthia Townsend Howarth; children Juliet Wells Howarth, Cythina Townsend Howarth, Jetson Dow Taylor and his wife Bryn, Brooke Taylor Kauerz, Jamison Clark Taylor and his wife Misty; father Richard Harper Howarth, Sr., mother-in-law Jane Temple Townsend; sisters Sarah Howarth Marshall and her husband Tommy and Amelia Howarth Baker and her husband Clark; grandchildren Crosby Taylor, Jet Taylor, Evans Kauerz, Harper Kauerz, and Case Taylor; and nieces Ashley Marshall, Natalie Marshall and Emily Marshall. The family request that memorials be made to Jacob's Well Recovery Center for Women, 45 Buford Lane, Poplarville, MS 39470 or The Richard H. Howarth, Jr. College Fund, 414 Highways 11 and 80, Meridian, MS 39301. Family and friends may sign the online guest book at www.robertbarhamffh.com
