Howard W. Harmer

Howard W. Harmer was born on September 14, 1928, in the Philadelphia neighborhood of Manayunk to the late Millard Fillmore and Jennie Harmer. He rejoined the love of his life Claire Harmer in heaven on Wednesday, February 3, 2021.

Howard grew up in Roxborough, Pennsylvania. His mother died when he was twelve years old and a few years later he went to live with his older brother and his wife, John and Caroline Harmer. Howard was devoted to them his entire life and looked after them in their later years.

Howard served the country in the U.S. Army from 1946 to 1949 and was honorably discharged after obtaining the rank of Corporal. After his service, he went to the University of Pennsylvania on the G.I. Bill, graduating with a B.S. in economics from the Wharton School in only three years. Howard spent his career working in the exporting business for Ballagh & Thrall and Penn Engineering.

On August 23, 1965, Howard married the love of his life, Claire Jane Harmer. They enjoyed traveling and spending time with family. Some of their favorite trips included Paris and Hong Kong. He remained devoted to her throughout her illness until her passing in May 2009.

Howard was a bright, articulate man with a wry sense of humor. He loved his hobbies. He collected hundreds of movies on tape, read years of National Geographic, and built ship and airplane models. He was a voracious reader, with a special interest in history. In later years, he focused primarily on historical mysteries and would often read four or five books in a week. That made him a frequent visitor to his local library, most recently the Brandywine Library in Wilmington where he was a regular.

Howard is survived by his step children Victor Meitner (Dale), Carol Ondeck (Thomas), and Pamela Meitner (Bruce Larson). To cherish his memory, he also leaves eight grandchildren: Christopher (Kristen), Susan (David), Victor (Maria) Daniel (Chais), Matthew (Kristen), Michael (Eva), William (Stephanie), and Katherine (Rhett) and 20 great grandchildren.