Howard Haines Cloud III, 62, of Homer, died unexpectedly on Dec. 6, 2012, in Los Angeles.
A celebration of life service is 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 5, 2013, at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort, Colorado Springs, Colo. Memorial contributions can be made to the Howard Cloud Memorial Fund established at the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies at: www.akcoastalstudies.org or by calling (907) 235-6667.
Howard was born Jan. 12, 1950, in Columbus, Ind., to Howard Haines Cloud Jr., Col. USAF, and Jean E. Tuttle Cloud, the family’s early years consisted of worldwide base assignments before settling in Monument, Colo. Howard graduated from Lewis-Palmer High School in 1968 as an all-state basketball star. He received his bachelor of arts in social sciences from Colorado State University and a masters in education from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, specializing in cross cultural school administration. He married Patricia L. Winick in 1973.
Howard had a notable impact on Native American students, teaching on reservations in North Dakota and Minnesota. He integrated Native history and traditions into the classroom and included Native communities in the education process. This passion led Howard and his young family to interior Alaska’s Athabascan Indian villages in 1983, where he was a teacher, coach and principal in Kaltag, Hughes and Minto. Howard was founder and President of the Western Interior Ski Association (WISA), which provided competitive cross-country ski and biathlon programs across school districts in interior Alaska. He retired as the director of Special Education and Counseling in Fairbanks.
An avid outdoorsman and early environmentalist, Howard built an earth sheltered home in Northern Minnesota in the late 1970s. After marrying his high school sweetheart, Leah Evans, in 1999 and living in Dallas, Texas, he embraced property management. Howard oversaw the design and construction of a state of the art, sustainably designed, tropical home in Costa Rica and their 5-star energy dream home in Homer. These homes serve as adventure hubs for friends and family.
“While all of us will surely miss him, Howard’s legacy of love, laughter and adventure will live on,” his family said.
Howard is survived by his wife Leah G. Evans Cloud of Homer; his two sons, Joshua Haines Cloud of Seattle and Jonah Henry Cloud of Portland, Ore.; Joshua and Jonah’s mother, Patricia L. Winick Cloud of Santa Fe, N.M.; his three sisters, Dianne June Sloan of Wichita, Kan., Paula Candace Fling of Manitou Springs, Colo., and Carol Ann Klingsmith of Denver; his brother, Lewis Warren Cloud of Albuquerque, N.M.; his step-sister Tina Allard Spiek and step-brother Robert E. Allard; and numerous nieces and nephews.