Pete Howard

Peter Lyndon “Pappy” Howard

Peter “Pappy” Lyndon Howard

Ojai, CA

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Peter “Pappy” Lyndon Howard, loving and devoted husband, father, brother, and friend. He left this world on Thursday, November 29, 2018, at the age of 71, surrounded by his family.

Pappy was born on January 16, 1947, in Oakland, CA, and grew up in Walnut Creek, CA. This is where his love of baseball and the San Francisco Giants began. He received his law degree from UC Davis in 1971 and passed the state bar exam in 1973. After graduating and passing the bar exam, Pappy relocated to Southern California to pursue his music career.

He always had a passion for guitars, songwriting, and music. He put himself through law school by playing music gigs at local bars in the Bay Area, as well as teaching guitar lessons. He met his wife, Chris, in 1976, at a bar he was playing at in Los Angeles. After dating for a couple years, they relocated together to the Ojai Valley in 1978. They got married on March 14, 1981, at Thatcher school’s outdoor chapel. They later had 2 daughters, Maryn and Ashley.

In 1981, Pappy opened his law firm in Santa Barbara with his partner, Paul Kremser, known as Kremser and Howard. Pappy would practice law during the day then write and play music into the night, vibrating the entire house while his girls tried to sleep. Although he was a lawyer, he would be the first to crack a lawyer joke, often saying: “I’m a mouthpiece, but don’t hold it against me.” He always took his work seriously, but not himself. He retired from law in 1994 and continued with his passion of guitars and trains by turning half a room into a music studio and the other half into an HO train model city, which was all built by hand. His music friends often came by his home studio to have him record their music. He loved all aspects of writing and recording music. He played music gigs throughout Ventura County, including Ojai’s Country Music festival and many local coffee shops. 

Pappy was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1989 and was one of the first to get deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery in 2001 before it was FDA approved. After he recovered, he was always willing to meet with any Parkinson’s patients to share his honest experience. He also spoke at a seminar related to Parkinson’s disease and DBS surgery. He battled Parkinson’s disease for a long period of time, but never let it discourage him. He always remained positive, still doing what he wanted, while never giving up. In a sense, he dictated the progression of the disease, instead of the disease dictating how he lived his life. He loved to challenge Parkinson’s disease and never let it get the best of him. He taught us how to be strong, how to fight on, how to adapt, and to never let hardships define who you are. 

After retiring, Pappy was able to spend more time with his girls. He would wake up everyday and make breakfast for his daughters before school until they graduated. He chaperoned on school field trips, helped with homework, and always fully listened to whatever you wanted to talk about. He played softball with his daughters and always shared a thing or two about this or that. He was always there to throw the Frisbee, ride bikes, go camping, and go on family vacations. He told us (his daughters) about “The Hotel Man” who would pay us a visit if we misbehaved while on vacation. “The Hotel Man” took care of the naughty children and made sure they were behaving. When “The Hotel Man” was mentioned we certainly did not want to meet him! Little did we know, Pappy was “The Hotel Man.”

In 2007, Pappy volunteered to be a mentor advocate through CASA Pacifica. He was able to utilize his love of relating to people, as well as his knowledge of law, in order to provide help to those who needed it most. He was matched up with a young man who he mentored while coming into adulthood. Pappy took a great liking to him and kept in close contact with him for many years.

Pappy was known for many things: his love of music, his great sense of humor, his love of helping others, for being a great listener, for having advice for any situation, for having the ability to talk to anyone about anything, his creativity, his silliness, as well as his love for his family and friends. He always knew how to lighten the room or someone’s day, and was never afraid to make a fool of himself in order to make you laugh. He taught us to follow our hearts and that we can accomplish anything we set our minds to, that no dream is ever too big.

Pappy was preceded in death by his parents Lyndon and Pamela Howard, father-in-law Bill Wigglesworth, and several aunts and uncles. He is survived by his wife of 37 years, Chris, his two daughters, Maryn (Max) Geiger and Ashley and future son-in-law Andrew Giebelhouse, his three brothers, Bruce, Geoff and David, his sister-in-law, Sherri Blada, mother-in-law, Ruth Wigglesworth, nephews, Justin and Kirk Blada and Daniel and Derek Howard, as well as several cousins and aunts in Australia. 

Rest in Peace, we will always love you Pappy,

Chunky Bum/Pie Bum, Bidley Didlums/Skinny Mini, and Haggy Bum Wap/Pie Bum Jr.

Published in Ventura County Star on Dec. 23, 2018