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Marty R Howard

January 11, 1963 - August 27, 2022

Marty Ray Howard was a beloved husband, dad, son, brother, and friend. He passed away in comfort after a hard-fought battle with colon cancer on August 27, 2022 at age 59.

Marty was born on January 11, 1963, in Jefferson, Iowa. He grew up in Ankeny, raised by his father Bob Howard, mother Janice Haberkorn, and step-father Lloyd Haberkorn. From a young age, Marty knew he wanted to be a lawyer. He made good on every childhood argument he ever won upon earning his BA (1985) and JD (1988) from the University of Iowa.

He began his career as an attorney at Reinhart Boerner in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where he met his wife, Terri. Together, they had four terrific children: Hanna (Jordan Mix), Annie, Jack, and Greer. After accepting a job with Jacobson Companies in 2001, Marty and his family relocated to Clive, Iowa. Upon his retirement as in-house counsel in 2015, Marty started his own firm where he continued to practice law until earlier this year. He was bright, extremely hard working, loyal, and down to earth. Many of his colleagues and clients became life-long friends.

While Marty was proud of his professional accomplishments, his true passion was sprint car racing. He became a top sponsor for many young racers and race teams. In 2021, a lifelong dream became reality when he and some of his best buddies formed their own team – Fossil Racing. They won their circuit championship in year one. Marty’s contributions to the sport were recognized with an induction into the Knoxville Raceway Hall of Fame earlier this month.

He lived his life full throttle and gained many best friends along the way. His dry wit and generous spirit will be missed by all who knew him.

Marty is survived by his wife and children; his mother and stepfather; his siblings Randy Howard (Debbie Grandia), Becky (Mark) Hensley and Shelley Haberkorn; and aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends too numerous to name. He was preceded in death by his father and his siblings, Mitchell and Janelle Howard, Kristie Trejo, and Brad Haberkorn.

A celebration of his life is planned from 10:00 am to 12:00 p.m. with a memorial service to follow at Memorial Services of Iowa (4208 N. Ankeny Blvd) on Thursday, September 1, 2022. The memorial service will be livestreamed at the following link: https://vimeo.com/event/2392567

In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Mayo Clinic to support cancer research efforts or the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and Museum.