Howard Winfield Franklin

Howard Winfield Franklin was a loving father and devoted husband. He died peacefully at age 80 at home in Manassas, VA, on January 1, 2025. He was born in Arlington, VA, in 1944 to Charles H. Franklin and Beatrice B. Franklin and raised there with his four brothers, Charles N. Franklin (deceased), James H. Franklin, John C. Franklin, and Donald P. Franklin. He worked at a local bank as a teller and paid his own way through college, earning a bachelor’s degree from Benjamin Franklin University, now part of George Washington University. During the Vietnam War, he served in the Navy, including serving on honorary funeral detail, and was honorably discharged in 1973. He used the G.I. Bill to earn his master’s degree in Financial Management, also from Benjamin Franklin University. He married his neighborhood sweetheart, Jacqueline B. Sowers, in Arlington in 1967, and soon moved to Orlando, FL, to fulfill his military assignment. They moved back to Arlington, VA, once he was discharged from the Navy and raised their three children, Wade W. Franklin (Jim M. Downs), Elaine R. Franklin, and Nathan D. Franklin (Dana L. DiMarzio), surrounded by a large and loving extended family. He had two grandchildren, Jayden A. Jaggers and Alexander D. Franklin. After 51 years in Arlington, he and Jacki moved to Manassas, VA, near their children and grandchildren where he lived his remaining days. They celebrated their 57th wedding anniversary in 2024. Howard was a dependable employee of the Washington Metro Area Transit Authority, serving as a financial analyst for construction of the subway system, and worked hard to retire comfortably at age 55 in 1999. In his free time, he was a Cub Scout leader, a member of the Wakefield High School Reunion Committee (his alma mater), Chair of the Reading is Fundamental Program’s Parent Advisory Committee, and Friends of the Arlington Library. Howard was curious and inquisitive. He kept his mind active through avid reading and his body active through ballroom dancing, bowling, bicycling in the neighborhood, mowing lawns, and other active hobbies. He and Jacki enjoyed many years of ballroom dance together, continually taking classes to learn new steps, and made many lifelong friends. He loved tinkering on antique cars and engines by himself as well as with his brothers, sons, and friends. Neighbors brought their mowers for repairs and enjoyed swapping stories about life. In retirement, he volunteered at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC, and the Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA, where he entertained many an elementary school student, asking about their Halloween costumes and stashes of candy. Fellow volunteers knew him fondly as “Taz.” He joined the Masons, Elks, Moose, and actively supported the philanthropy work of Shriners International. A celebration will be held to honor Howard’s remarkable life. The date and location are to be determined. Because of Howard’s love of reading and recognition of the power of literacy, donations can be made in his name to an organization he supported for many years, the Dictionary Project, P.O. Box 180159, Coronado, CA 92178, or the Manassas City Public Schools Education Foundation, P.O. Box 520, Manassas, VA 20108.

Howard Winfield Franklin

August 17, 1944 - January 1, 2025