Rodney Emmanuel Howes, father, grandfather, United States letter carrier, United States Navy veteran, and bowler extraordinaire, departed this life peacefully on August 6, 2023, following a brief illness at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton, Massachusetts.  Rodney was 88 years old.

Rodney was born during the Great Depression on January 2, 1935, at Boston City Hospital, to his parents William "Willie" Howes and Winifred "Winney" Howes (Dixon).  He spent the earliest years of his life with his extended family at 14 Linwood Square, in the Highland Park section of Roxbury, Mass.

Rodney was a Roxbury boy, through and through.  Rodney and his first cousin Lloyd "Al" Johnson spent those early years sharing laughter, tears, and secrets, as well as celebrating life to the fullest.  During World War II, Rodney and Al would collect soda bottles to support the war effort, or to purchase a cool soda pop at the local grocery store.  Those early years shaped Rodney as a boy, and later as a man.

As a youth, Rodney regularly attended and was baptized, at St. Cyprian's Episcopal Church in Roxbury, Massachusetts.  St. Cyprians is the oldest Black church in Roxbury, and the church served as a haven (and community gathering space) for West Indian immigrants coming to Boston in the 1900s.  Rodney's grandmother, Edith Dixon, was a founding member of St. Cyprian.

Rodney attended Boston Trade School for high school.  He was a star athlete, lettering in both track and field and football.  Upon his graduation in June 1952, he enlisted in the United States Navy.  He served as a photo technician on the flight deck of a naval aircraft carrier, retrieving film of aircraft missions over the Soviet Union during the beginning of the Cold War.

Upon his honorable discharge from the Navy in 1958, he met the love of his life, Florence "Flo" Desmond (Howes).  They were married on January 23, 1960.  God blessed them with three wonderful children Cheryl Lynne Howes, Lynne Marie Howes, and Ronald Lynwood Howes.

Rodney began his career as a letter carrier for the United States Postal Service in 1960.  He retired from the Postal Service in 1990.  Like many Black men of his generation, he did whatever was necessary to ensure that his wife and children had the comforts of life that he did not have growing up.  He moved his family from Roxbury to the Town of Stoughton in 1964, where he resided for the rest of his life.  The Howes family was one of the first families to integrate Stoughton.  However, Rodney never forgot his Roxbury roots!

Rodney loved Roxbury.  Every year Rodney would come back home annually to celebrate Roxbury Day.  For 49 years, Rodney bowled in the International Candlepin Bowling League ("ICBL"), the oldest, predominately African American candlepin bowling league in the United States.

Rodney also loved Boston area professional sports teams, including the New England Patriots, the Boston Celtics, and the Boston Red Sox.  In his later years, he and his best friend Al Johnson would reminisce about great moments (and failures) in Boston sports history.

Most importantly, Rodney gave back to the African American community.  For example, Rodney was a quiet, but long-time contributor to the 100 Black Men of Savannah, Ga., a program dedicated to mentoring young African American men.  Rodney's compadre and best friend Al Johnson is a prominent member of the 100 Black Men of Savannah.

In death, he is reunited with the love of his life Flo, who departed this life suddenly in May 1984.  He is also reunited with his beloved daughter, Cheryl Porter (Howes), who passed in August 2020.

He leaves to cherish his memory his children, Lynne Marrow (Glenn) and Ronald Howes; his grandchildren Daronte Howes, Troy Marrow, Nia Marrow, and Whitney Porter; his first cousin and best friend, Lloyd "Al" Johnson; his first cousin Lee Hernandez; special friends Cynthia "Cynnie" Moore and Rosalind "Roz" Thomas; and lastly, a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends too numerous to mention.