Howard Gorman

Published 9:28 am Tuesday, April 17, 2018

December 7, 1938 – April 11, 2018

Howard Charles Gorman, a Bend-area resident for 14 years, who, in retirement, immersed himself in volunteer work as a photographer, musician and management consultant, died April 11 of cancer. He was 79.

He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Chris; their 3 children, Mike, Kathy and Steve; 5 grandchildren and 4 siblings.

A Memorial Mass will be celebrated at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church. Howard’s ashes will be inurned at Ascension Cemetery in Lake Forest, California. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be offered to the American Cancer Society.

Among his activities, Howard, who played the saxophone in the Purdue University marching band, played that same sax with the Cascade Horizon Band and The Notables, while also helping each group better promote itself. With his wife volunteering at ReStore, the thrift store operated by the Bend Area Habitat for Humanity, Howard introduced customized management tools that allowed the organization to more efficiently build homes for those in need. Howard also recruited financial support for the fledgling Central Oregon Veterans Ranch, an outdoor therapy project for vets with post traumatic stress disorder, and was asked to serve as president of its board of directors.

Howard was born in Chicago on December 7, 1938, the first of Betty Lou and George Howard Gorman’s 5 children. In high school, Howard played basketball, was editor of the school paper and was elected student body president — all while earning straight A’s and graduating as the class valedictorian. Howard graduated with a degree in electrical engineering from Purdue University, where he met Chris. Much of his career was spent marketing advanced computer memory technology, including for the Navy’s nuclear warhead missiles during the Cold War, and for digitizing fingerprint data bases for law enforcement in Europe. He then shifted careers altogether, taking over his father’s specialty candy brokerage before retiring to Bend in 2004, enjoying golf, but finding the greatest satisfaction in volunteer work.