<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN"> <HTML> <HEAD> <META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=us-ascii"> <META NAME="Generator" CONTENT="MS Exchange Server version 6.5.7638.1"> <TITLE>Newspaper Obit</TITLE> </HEAD> <BODY>  For those who did not visit the Bozeman Daily Chronicle online, here is the text of Jeff Howard's obituary notice. <UL> JEFFREY L. HOWARD Jeffrey L. Howard, 36, died unexpectedly of heart failure on Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2006. He was born Oct. 21, 1970, in Omaha, Neb., to Roger and Mary (Lauderdale) Howard. In 1992, he moved to the Bozeman area where he met and fell in love with his wife, Erin. They were married on Sept. 9, 2000. The joys of his life were his four-year-old daughter and two-year-old son. He was constantly amazed at how cool it was to be a dad and would often say that being a husband and a father was the most rewarding part of his life. Jeff spent many years working at Bare's Stove and Spa, most recently as the store manager. His work there was not just a job to him; it was truly part of his heart and soul. Jeff's passions included fishing, playing pool, reading and rooting for his beloved football team, the Nebraska Cornhuskers. He is survived by his wife, Erin (Stephens); daughter, Cassidy; son, Connor; parents, Roger and Mary Howard; brother, Mike; sister, Kris; and grandparents, George and Leona Lauderdale. He was also blessed to have a large, loving extended family and a wide circle of close friends. He touched many lives. Jeff was truly loved and will be greatly missed. Visitation at Dokken-Nelson Funeral Service will be from 2 to 6 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 17, with the family present from 2 to 4 p.m. Funeral Services will be held at 2 p.m. Monday, Dec. 18, in the Dokken-Nelson Sunset Chapel. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be sent to a fund for the children of Jeffrey L. Howard at Big Sky Western Bank, 106 E. Babcock St., Bozeman, MT 59715. </UL> With deepest sympathy, Udo, Janet, Lisa and Eric Freund </BODY> </HTML>