William Roger Howard Bill, 86, passed away on September 3, 2006 in Richland of Congestive Heart Failure.

Bill was born January 13, 1920 to Fred R Howard and Abbie Marie Rogers in the town of Nespelem, WA, located on the Colville Indian Reservation. At the tender age of 3, Bill lost the first of his beloved Abbies, his mother, to tuberculosis. The family eventually relocated to Spokane where Bill graduated from high school. Bill went to work for Washington Water Power in Spokane where at the age of 19, he took 22,000 volts of electricity while working as a lineman in Cottonwood, ID. Bill was hospitalized for months as he relearned the basics, such as walking. Bill then worked as line foreman for the REA. He loved to tell the story of how he wired a lady's house for electricity, or ''juice'', and the lady did not want him to turn it on and have the juice come out and stain her carpets. He then became the chief electrical inspector for the Army Corps of Engineers for such projects as the construction of the Salem, Oregon airport and Camp Adair, Oregon. Bill was one of the first to arrive at Hanford in June of 1943 where he worked for DuPont, General Electric, ITT Federal Support Services, and the City of Richland, from which he retired.

Bill was a charter member of the Richland Masonic Lodge, extremely active in getting it started. He also was a Shriner and a member of the Dirty Dozen. He loved to quote statistical information relative to Hanford construction, the area's history, and the history of the Richland Lodge. Bill and his wife, Fran, also owned and operated Howard's Ice Cream Shop, located in Densow Drug, until selling in the early 1960's as the family expanded.

Bill is survived by his wife of 53 years, Frances Fran, of Richland; his five daughters, affectionately known as ''Howard's Harem'', and their families, Kay Bill Carter and son, Ryan, of Massachusetts, Grace Marc Hendrickson and sons, Brandon Rachel, Anthony and Drew of West Richland, Arty Steve Bartlett and children Megan and Mike of Spokane, Teri Jane, of Oregon, and children Stephanie Drachman and Jacob Iller, and Rebecca John Hamlin of Bellevue; brother, Darrell I. Howard of Spokane; nieces, Pam Edwards and Judy Ewing of Richland, JoAnn Pearson of Seattle, and Bonnie Beatty of California; nephews, Fred Howard of Snohomish and Roger Howard of Spokane. His parents, Fred and Abbie Howard; half-brother Ed Howard; half-sister Esther Barron; and his second beloved Abby, granddaughter, Abby Carter, preceded him in death. A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, September 9, 2006 at 3:00 PM at Einan's Funeral Home in Richland. In lieu of flowers, memorial ~ contributions may be made to The Shriner's Hospital for Children, PO Box 2472, Spokane, WA 99210; the Alzheimer's Association, 910 W. 5th Ave. Ste. 256, Spokane, WA 99204; or the American Heart Association, 805 S. Auburn, Kennewick, WA 99336.