Howard Easton Obituary

Howard F. Easton, Jr, died on January 23, 2026, at his home in Green Valley, AZ at the age of 89.

Howard was born in Aberdeen, South Dakota on September 14, 1936, to Howard and Helen Easton. As a young boy, he watched his father ship out of San Diego, CA to serve in the Pacific during World War II. After the war, his sister Carol joined the family. Howard spent his childhood in Aberdeen and Huron, South Dakota. After graduating from Huron High School in 1954, Howard attended South Dakota State University graduating with a BS in Electric Engineering in 1958.

While at SDSU, Howard met Linda Widman when he accompanied his college roommate home for a weekend. They were married on January 3, 1959. They started their married life in Huron, SD and Howard went to work for the US Bureau of Reclamation. In 1965, Howard was hired at small rural electric company, Basin Electric Power Cooperative, in Bismarck, ND. Howard worked at Basin Electric for the rest of his career, retiring in 1997. He held various positions at Basin, including the head of power engineering, member services and power marketing. During his time at Basin, Howard and Linda traveled to many conferences and events throughout the western U.S., developing friendships which last to this day.

After retiring from Basin, Howard and Linda moved to South Dakota where they spent springs and summers at the family's farm in eastern South Dakota, their cabin in the Black Hills and winters in Green Valley, AZ. Howard and Linda were passionate about high school and college sports, especially their beloved Arizona Wildcats, attending as many games and tournaments as they could. They continued to travel; visiting family and friends throughout retirement, sailing the inside passage to Alaska, trips to Sanibel Island, Florida, and road trips to visit their children and their families. Howard's last trip was in October 2025 to meet his newest great grandchild in Seattle, WA.

He and Linda, along with 2 other couples, started camping one week each July in the Black Hills in 1959. This tradition continues to occur the last full week of July at the cabin built by Howard and his family and, now includes four generations of "campers'.

Howard worked hard, he cared for the people he worked with and his family and friends. He loved good food and wine shared with friends. One of his colleagues wrote: "I loved working with Howard. He was a fair and honest person who could quietly enter a room but leave the room with total respect and appreciation of his knowledge and vison along with several laughs."

Howard is survived by Linda; four of his children, Robert (Cathy) Easton, Loveland, CO; Lea Ann Easton, Portland, OR; Lisa Easton-Hummel (Bill), Lynnwood, WA; & Lou Ann Klein (Steve), Oshkosh WI; and grandchildren, Peter Doepke, Tina Rausch, Steve Easton, Heather Martinez, Nicki Easton-Hartig, Alley Easton, Cassie Shull, Lucas Hummel, Price Simon, Ben Klein, and Matthew Klein; and 9 great grandchildren; and nephew Scott (Jenni) Klitzke, Salem, South Dakota. He was preceded in death by his parents, his sister Carol, his oldest daughter Lori, and grandson Kenny Hummel.

A funeral mass will be held on February 25, 2026, at 11 am at Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church, 505 La Canada Dr, Green Valley, AZ. A Celebration of Life and Burial of his remains will take place in South Dakota 7/26.