Howell Beach 'Howie' Fairbanks, Jr.

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Fairbanks, Howell "Howie" Beach, Jr. Passed away on April 7, 2015. Howell was born on June 30, 1935, in St. Paul, MN, to Howell "Doug" Fairbanks, Sr. and Georgia Crawford Fairbanks. He attended Shattuck Military Academy in Faribault, MN, and learned the skill of target shooting and marksmanship. He graduated in 1953 and attended the University of Minnesota until military service in 1956. He was a top-ranked expert marksman in the 531st Army Air Defense Command stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota shooting in the Army's Marksmanship Competition, medaling consistently. He shot wherever he got the chance, most recently with a membership at Red Brush, and a membership of the NRA. Honorably discharged from the Army in 1960, Howie entered the printing business with his father later becoming Vice President of St. Paul Associated Letter Co. in St. Paul, MN and cofounder of Lightweight Engineering, building competition racing engines. He won SCCA Mechanic of the Year in 1973. He started racing sports cars in 1954 with ice racing. While in the Army, he continued racing cars, adding road rallies and hill climbs in South Dakota. Upon entering civilian life, he joined the fledgling Sports Car Club of America. He was a 59 year member. He raced amateur and professional races, including Cam Am, Trans Am and F5000, earning two silver (FC's) and two bronze medals (FA's) at the SCCA Runoffs at Road Atlanta. His last race was at Road America, where he won his event at the age of 76. He was also a Chief Steward for the Land O' Lakes region of the SCCA working tracks around the country and at the 1982 and 1983 Formula 1 Detroit Grand Prix. Howie was defined by his avocations, guns, shooting, racing, building race cars and boats. His love of boats was a constant, a toddler on the houseboat, the 'Sally Bun', then a teenager on the Mississippi river boat, the G.S. Georgia, then a full time 'live-a-board' on the G.S.Georgia with his wife, Caroline and daughter, Katherine, and finally a trip across the north Atlantic. He sailed Head Start, a 33-foot Hunter, with his family for seven years on Lake Superior. Then he sailed across the Atlantic and on into the Mediterranean. When retirement came he was sailing across the Atlantic. Once joining his wife, Caroline, and daughter, Katherine, in Lisbon, Portugal, he began to seriously travel, Europe and North Africa. Later with his wife he would travel in Southeast Asia and China. He became an RV'er and crisscrossed the western US. With his wife they lived in Nebraska, Michigan, Texas, Idaho and finally in Evansville, Indiana. A lifelong Episcopalian, Howell served as a chalicer at St. Paul's Episcopal Church. He volunteered at the Fall Festival raising money for the Eastside Lion's Club. He was a voracious reader who loved science fiction, Biblical novels and both fact and fiction novels about the American Civil War and was a member of the Southern Indiana Civil War Round Table. Survived by his wife of 37 years, Caroline; son, Brooke Fairbanks (Laura); his daughters, Leslie Thomson (Stephen) and Katherine Fairbanks; and nieces, Dana McCann and Susan McKenzie and nephew, James Berquam. He was preceded in death by his parents and sister; Sara (Fairbanks) Berquam and nephew, John Berquam. Many thanks for the love and support from family and friends. Family and friends may visit at Browning Funeral Home, 738 Diamond Avenue, Evansville, IN 47711, on Friday, April 17 from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM with a Lion's Club Memorial Service at 7:00 PM. A funeral mass will be held at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 301 SE 1st Street, Evansville, IN 47713, at 3:00 PM Saturday, April 18. Internment will be at the Oakwood Cemetery in Austin, MN on May 2, 2015. A "Friends and Family Gathering" will be held in MN. Memorials are preferred to the charity of your choice.

Published on April 16, 2015