“Battles over, Warrior King, respected by his peers; hold his image, sing his songs to echo through the years.” Viking Funeral by Michele Brenton
Jason Thomas Howard, 44, of Hockessin, Delaware passed away April 29, 2021 at home surrounded by the love of his family. Jason lived with brain cancer (GBM) for 2.5 years, battling through three brain surgeries, two rounds of radiation, three rounds of chemotherapy and one immunotherapy trial.
He is survived by his wife, Jennifer and their children, David, Emily and Matthew; his parents, Tom and Rhonda Howard and his brother, Tyler Howard.
Jason was born into the life of an Army Brat and lived throughout the United States, ultimately settling in Florida. Desiring a job with a purpose where he felt he could make a difference for others, Jason enlisted in the Marine Corps upon graduating from high school.
Jennifer and Jason met at the University of Florida and Jason became a commissioned officer in 2000. Although Jason and Jennifer spent most of their first years together dating long distance, they ultimately decided life was just better together and married in 2001.
Jason was deployed to Iraq in 2003 and in 2004 as part of the 1st battalion 4th Marines during OIF 1 and 2. Throughout their 19 years of marriage they welcomed their children and made friends across the United States. Jason joined Ultimate Software in May 2015 as a Manager of Data Analytics after working in similar roles at JPMorgan and Amazon. He had an unmatched work ethic and brought order, discipline and focused value to any job he took on. Jason and his family settled in Delaware in 2013 after living in California, Nevada and Kentucky.
It is in Hockessin, Delaware that they established their roots. Jason was a devoted dad who loved spending time at his children’s sporting and musical events. He enjoyed working out and running with his wife, Jennifer. Jason and his family even ran several 5k races together and in 2017 he participated in a Ragnar Relay, running down the southeast coast of Florida. Jason cheered on his teammates and ran with them, offering encouragement, even during his rest time. That is just who Jason was; he would have done anything for a friend in need. His perseverance was unmatched and Jason ran his first half marathon while undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatments. In 2019, the couple decided to run in the Race For Hope and raise funds for the National Brain Tumor Society. Jason loved nature and all creatures great and small. A man of strength and character, it is notable that no bug was too small to catch and release outside. It is a trait he passed down to his children. One of his fondest childhood memories was attending summer camp in the Florida Everglades, stomping through the swampy land and finding all sorts of creatures from snakes, to birds, to reptiles. Jason loved fast cars, the Red Sox, reading, nature, a hot cup of dark coffee, an ice-cold beer and spending quiet time with his family and close friends. He had a unique perspective on the world and a fabulously dry sense of humor.
To say he will be missed is an understatement and we are all better people for having known Jason. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to one of these organizations that were important to him:
www.stachestrong.org https://braintumor.org/ https://burnpits360.org