Billy Haegen Howell was born May 26, 1933 in Henry, Nebraska and passed from this life on July 22, 2021, at the age of 88, in Longdale, OK where he had just moved in with his oldest daughter, Deborah Bradford.
Billy was born to William Anderson Howell and Prudence Vivian Haegen Wertz Howell and lived near Henry, Nebraska on 80 acres of irrigated, homesteaded land, in his own words, “until my escape at age 18”.
He joined the Wyoming National Guard before the legal age of 16 so he had to story to them to get in, but get in he did. He stayed in the Guard for 12 years and rose to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant. While in the Guard he attended Army Engineering school in Virginia , Map making school in Washington D.C. and army administration training in Indianapolis. He also attended Field Artillery in Oklahoma.
In 1952 he met his first wife, Yvonne Shappell and they married in 1953. They had 1 daughter, Deborah Marie, born Jan. 6, 1954. They moved to Laramie, WY, where he worked as an Administrative Assistant for the Adjutant General at the new Guard unit there. Things did not work out and in 1955 they were divorced.
He was always eager to explore new experiences. In 1955 he and his barber bought a race car together. Billy did the mechanical work and drove it. While he was on a fly fishing vacation, a friend of his drove the car in a race and totaled it. That was the end of his racing career as a driver but not his enthusiasm for racing. Billy met and worked with many notable people in the racing industry throughout his lifetime.
He decided he would like to be involved in cars but didn’t want to be under them so, in 1957 he moved in with his ex-in-laws, they had become good friends, and enrolled in the University of Wyoming to study Mechanical Engineering. Little did he know this would set him up for a great career, working for General Motors, until they offered him early retirement, in 1987.
He met Barbara Ann Caudle in 1961 and after dating for a short time they were married in May 1962. They adopted two children. Matthew William Anderson, joined the family at three months of age in August, 1966 and Molly Margaret, came to them at 4 month’s of age, in December 1969. They settled in Detroit, Michigan, to work and raise their family until 1994.
In 1990 Bill bought a home on Lake St. Clair, near Algonac, MI. He spent the rest of his days here from 1994 until his move to Oklahoma, June 13, 2021.
Bill thoroughly enjoyed his job at General Motors. He got to use his talents in several areas, but, I think his favorite was trouble shooting race cars and helping the drivers get more speed out of them, at which he was very good. During his years at Chevy he got to know and work with many famous and talented race car drivers.
After his retirement from GM he decided he just couldn’t sit around so he started toying with a “better mousetrap” idea he had. With his son Matthew, he started Howell Engine Developments, INC. They built wiring harnesses for the hobbyists that wanted to put newer engines in older cars or upgrade their vehicles to injector models. They made a roaring success of that business and Matt still runs it now. All of Bill’s children, and some grandchildren, at one time or another built harnesses for the business out of their homes.
He semi-retired from that and hit the road. He loved to travel this great country. Each year he would take off down a different highway and travel it to the other side of the country, stopping to see friends, family and sights along the way. Oh, the stories he could tell you.
Billy was preceded in death by his wife, Barbara, father, William in 1939, when he was only 6 years old, his mother, Prudence, two sisters, Phyllis, Beth, and a brother, F.D. Howell.
He is survived by a sister, Barbara, better known as Bobbie and her husband, Pete Peterson; his children, Deborah & Jerry Bradford, Matthew & Gina Howell and Molly & Tracy Reeves; his grandchildren, Yvonne Bradford, Spring & Dan Raines; Kaitlin, Samantha, Mackensie & Jack; Jordan, Ashley & Tyler; great grandchildren, Deyonna, & Kyler, Chloe & Dakota, Asher & Benjamin; and 2.5 great, great grandchildren, Estella, and Blakeley & upcoming Brother and many other friends and relatives.
In lieu of flowers donations can be made to St. Judes Children’s Research Hospital at 262 Danny Thomas Pl., Memphis, TN 38105 or Doctors Without Borders, PO Box 5030, Hagerstown, MD 21741 or You can go to the Wounded Warrior website to donate by mail. It is woundedwarriorproject.org. These are charities, among many others that Bill held dear to his heart and supported regularly.
To plant Memorial Trees in memory of Billy Howell, please click here to visit our Sympathy Store.