Albert Oscar Howard, Jr.

Albert O. Howard Jr, 86, of Seale, Alabama, passed peacefully from this life at home following a courageous four-year fight against cancer. He was known as “Al” by many and “Bubba” by close family.

A celebration of life service will be held 11:00 am (EST) Friday, August 23, 2024 at Vance Brooks Funeral in Phenix City, Alabama. Interment will follow at Ft. Mitchell National Cemetery with full military honors. The family will receive friends from 10:00 am until 11:00 am, one hour prior to the service, at the funeral home.

He was born in Phenix City to the late Albert “Hawk” O. Howard and Bessie Mae Flinn Howard and a graduate of Central High School, Auburn University, and Jones School of Law.

He was commissioned as an Ensign in the United States Navy upon graduation from Auburn University and served 28 years with distinction on numerous nuclear submarines. He commanded the USS Woodrow Wilson at the height of the Cold War, and retired as a highly decorated Navy Captain in 1988 with numerous service and joint awards. He famously quipped to his sailors, that their duty to country was “hard, dangerous, and worth it!”

During his final years in the Navy, he earned His Juris Doctorate and entered private legal practice. He was elected as the Russell County Probate Judge for two consecutive terms, serving from 1994-2006. He counted his service to family, country, state, and community as his highest honors and privileges.

He valued education highly and advocated for equality, justice, and fairness. He was a master chess player and Auburn Tiger fan. After retirement, he enjoyed golfing with the Hole-In-One Gang at the Lakewood Golf Course.

He was preceded in death by his parents and his eldest sister, Betty H. Hilliard (Jim).

He is survived by wife, Melanie Parkman Howard, his younger sister, Martha H. Lemaire (Littlerock, AR), his three sons Madison L. Howard (Wilmington, NC), Rev. Albert “Bert” O. Howard III (Bing; Seale, AL), Rev. S. Russell Howard (Jodi; Cape Hatteras, NC), 15 grandchildren, and 9 great grandchildren, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

Al Howard was a man of integrity, character, and foremost a beloved patriarch who loved his family faithfully, fiercely, and always.

The family would like to express their sincerest gratitude to the doctors and staffs of the John B. Amos Cancer Center and Enhabit Hospice.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be sent to the John B. Amos Cancer Center in Columbus, Georgia or to a charity of the donor’s choosing.