Marlyn George Howard
The Western News | UPDATED 11 hours, 11 minutes AGO
A wonderful husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather passed away Dec. 24, 2025, with his family by his side. Marlyn George Howard was born Sept. 6, 1931, to George and Alvyna Howard in Wildrose, North Dakota.
Marlyn was about FAMILY. He first came to Libby following his parents that relocated here while he was in the Air Force. He met his future wife, Darla Cooley, when he got here. He married Darla on Aug. 25, 1956.
In their 70 years together they raised three children, Tammy, Connie and Greg, with vacations east and west to visit family on both sides. He was there to see his children have their own families, Tammy (Steve) Lauer, Connie Spencer and Greg (Lidia) Howard.
Their nine grandchildren, Marlyn and Darla’s grandchildren, Trista, Reesy, Justin, Jonelle, Kyra, Vanessa, Alicia, Nicholas and Janina, led to his nine great-grandsons, many nieces and nephews and extended family and friends.
He was about WORK, continuously developing himself professionally to provide for their family. He grew up working on farms and attending school in nearby Williston, North Dakota. He said he had been working since he was 9 years old. Marlyn joined the Navy in 1951 and then the Air Force in 1953.
He lived with Darla in Libby for over 37 years while they operated Howard’s Electric, Gregg’s Car Wash and Union 76 station. Marlyn was one of the original members of Libby Volunteer Ambulance in 1970. He was a lifetime member of the VFW.
Marlyn and his wife were active in the AFS exchange student program; some of the students still visit him to this day. After 35 years of being self-employed he went to work at the Asarco mine.
In 1993, they moved to Winnemucca, Nevada, where Marlyn worked in a mine for five years before retiring to Lake Havasu City, Arizona. He enjoyed retirement so much that he returned to work and again retired two more times. They spent winters in Arizona for 22 years, migrating back to Libby in the summers.
In 2000, Marlyn built a house on Savage Lake where they loved spending their summers. The summer of 2025 found Marlyn back to work, volunteering at the Heritage Museum.
Marlyn was about HOME. With Darla, they lived in many towns over the years, but worked in each place to make the house into a home, connecting to neighbors and making friends, and always getting involved in the community.
A celebration of life will take place at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, at the Libby Ambulance Building.
Arrangements are under the care of Schnackenberg Funeral Home of Libby, Montana. Online condolences and memories may be shared by visiting www.schnackenbergfh.com.