Philip Brook Howell

Philip B. Howell Kidney cancer finally got the best of me. God took me home on Tuesday, September 6, 2011. I have lived with a foot in two worlds for too long anyway. One foot in my Hawaiian homeland where I was born in Honolulu on May 6, 1951 to Lei Mamo Sousa and Philip E. Howell. They worked and sacrificed much to give my sisters and I every advantage to succeed. I spent a happy youth and young adulthood immersed in that gentle and rich culture. The other foot was in Ogden, Utah where much of my adult life was spent having way too much fun in my law enforcement career, and raising my beloved family. Now I am free to roam where I will. I have lived a full and eventful life. I have loved and been loved. I have won most of my battles and lost a few as well. Did some profoundly good things as well as made some really dumb decisions. I have more proud memories than regrets, but am most grateful God put my wife Cheri in my path. She loved me fiercely, loyally and protected and cared for me through our entire marriage. There is a saying a man’s greatness is measured by the greatness of his enemies. Unfortunately for me the few enemies I made were small minded and insignificant men..ah well. I have many friends and associates who were unfailingly thoughtful and supportive throughout my life and in my most recent time of need. Especially my Hawaiian and my Utah “brothers and sisters” You know who you are. Mahalo to you all. If you venture to Hawaii, go to the Halona Point lookout on the Kaiwi Coast of Oahu, look to your left and you may see me playing in the waves at Sandy Beach or relaxing in the tidal pools along the reef. If in Utah, look to the Ogden Valley and in the winter, you may glimpse me in my board shorts and slippers helping you shovel the snow off your driveway. There will be a smile on my face and I am at peace. As the song goes: “Aloha oe…until we meet again”. Philip Brook Howell was a beloved Husband, Father, Brother, Grandfather, Mentor, and a Friend to all. He was a little aloof and didn’t let you in easily but once you were in, you loved him and he loved you back. He was the youngest of four and the only son. His parents raised a contemplative young boy who turned into a man of integrity and good will. He was lucky to have been a “St. Louis Gentleman” and a graduate of St. Louis High in Honolulu, a Catholic school known for scholastic and athletic excellence. He excelled in football and received scholarships to Olympic College in Washington State and Weber State University in Ogden, Utah. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice in 1975 and later went to night school and earned his Masters degree in Public Administration from Brigham Young University in 1980. In the spring of 1982 while working at the Ogden City Police Department (1975 to 1995), he met his Kuuipo (sweetheart) Cheri Arave. They were married December 10, 1983. Along with her came her three children, Kami, Britney, and Casey. He was a wonderful father to these children and together he and Cheri had two daughters, Ka’ilialoha and Ka’iulani. During his time at Ogden City he had many accomplishments and was proud of the Foot Patrol Program on 25th St. and downtown Ogden he coordinated during the early redevelopment of the Ogden Business District. He also enjoyed his ten years in narcotics enforcement with OPD and the Weber Morgan Narcotic Strike Force. He received a variety of awards as well as a Medal of Valor while working at OPD. He was also proud of his work in helping develop the Hostage Negotiation Unit with Ogden Metro SWAT and served as a negotiator and team leader for over twenty years. Philip also served an eight-year term with the U.S. Naval Reserve as an intelligence specialist. Philip took an early 20-year retirement from the Ogden City Police Department in 1995 and moved with his family back to Honolulu to help with the family garment business as Executive V.P. of Operations and Administration. He learned a lot about marketing, sales, production, business plan development and team building. He was happy he had a chance to help his family in a difficult business environment. It was also an opportunity to reunite with family, old friends, and culture. The reunions, lots of beach time, backyard parties and the chance to give his children a taste of their Hawaiian culture meant a lot to him. After four years in Honolulu he and his family moved back to Ogden in 2000 to renew his law enforcement career at the Weber County Sheriff’s Office. He was a key member of the accreditation and re-organization team of the Weber County Sheriff’s Office and engaged in an extensive re-write of Sheriff’s Office Policies and Procedures. He also conducted internal affairs investigations, helped establish the Sheriff’s Office Law Enforcement Citizen’s Advisory Committee, obtained an examiner certificate in Voice Stress Analysis, commanded the criminal investigations bureau and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and ended his career as a Lieutenant commanding the Upper Ogden Valley Patrol Precinct. Philip was a remarkable man with many talents; he had a beautiful singing voice (ask anyone who was lucky enough to witness it) and loved to cook (if you could imagine it, he could cook it!). He was well read, and very articulate both in speaking and writing. He was a wonderful father to his children, and a loving and devoted husband to Cheri (all she had to do was ask). He was a loyal friend and if you were lucky enough to know Philip, you know there will never be another one like him. He leaves behind his devoted wife Cheri who adored him, his children, Ka’ilialoha (Josh) Howell-Hill and grandson; Ka’iulani (Brandon) Howell-Berrett and granddaugther and grandson; Britney (Cliff) Gidley-Holstein, Casey (Kristie) Gidley, Kami Clark-Romano, and nine step-grandchildren whom he loved dearly. His parents, three sisters, Leigh (LeRoy) Howell-Reed, Dixie Howell, Puanani Howell; two nieces and two nephews. Funeral services will be held Monday, September 12, 2011 at 2 p.m. at Lindquist’s Ogden Mortuary, 3408 Washington Blvd. Friends may meet family Sunday from 6 to 8 p.m. and Monday from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. at the mortuary. Philip’s ashes will be scattered off the island of Ohau, Hawaii.