Thomas S. Howard

June 7, 1940 - August 14, 2020

Thomas Sylvester Howard, 80, of Louisville, passed away on Friday, August 14, 2020. Born on June 7, 1940 in Keystone, West Virginia, to the late Alfonzo ‘Red’ Howard and Ida Lee Howard, Thomas was a strong and independent man known to friends and family as Tommy. He moved from WV to Yonkers New York after HS, where he lived, worked as a painter and married Viola Marie Ferguson. He enlisted in the US Army at the age of 20 and was stationed in Germany. He was discharged honorably due to illness and returned to NYC where he and Viola adopted their son Steve Howard. Ultimately, Viola and Tom divorced and in 1969, Tom settled in Louisville Kentucky around family including brothers Aaron Howard, Nathaniel Howard and John Cummins and sisters, Jeanetta Carter, Ardelia Weathers, and Valerie Joyner. A lifelong basketball enthusiast and an ardent cardinal fan - Tom was known as a free-spirited ‘hippie’ in the 1960s/70s. In NYC, he worked in an orphanage where he coached boys basketball. In Louisville, he opened a candy shop next to his brothers’ liquor store, the famed Howard Dispensary on 32nd and Woodland, in partnership with Erika Trifaro, the mother of his daughter Tamara Gardellis, born in 1977. After Tamara was born he went back to school, became an information processing specialist for Metro Louisville and purchased his home in West Buechel where he resided for 30+ years. He retired from Metro Louisville after 20 years of service, then became a councilman for the City of West Buechel where he was recognized for 8 years of exemplary service and also a Deacon at Buechel Park Baptist Church where he sang in the choir and joyfully participated in the daily Senior lunch program – first as a server and in his later years, as a recipient. Tom was loved and respected for his intelligence, his eloquence in words and manor, his generosity and his smile. He loved connecting with people and gave of himself and his time to family, friends and parishioners with great enthusiasm. He had a warm and easy way about him to which people always gravitated, and a deep baritone voice that led the way. Thomas was one of the lucky ones that left this world happy with the life that he created for himself. Memorial services for Thomas, who will be laid to rest at Memorial Louisville Gardens West, will be private.