Stephen Colgate Howard, 98, an artist, of Newcastle, died at his home on Aug. 12.
He was born July 20, 1912 in his grandfather William Colgate’s house in Flushing, N.Y. Steve attended the Pomfret School in Connecticut for six years, graduating in the class of 1931. His interest in art began at Pomfret, and he later studied at the National Academy of Art in New York City.
After he married Ruth Hougham in 1938, they spent a year and a half touring Europe, Steve painting all the while. They then settled in the Hamburg Cove section of Lyme, Conn., where he built a house on a five-acre piece of land. He later enjoyed telling people that the house had a cost a whopping $5000. Steve eventually bought a Bahamian sloop and reconfigured her to accommodate four people. He and Ruth and their daughters Stephanie and Roberta sailed to the Bahamas where they spent two winters aboard Madeira.
During WWII, Steve was stationed with the US Army in Italy, and supervised a carpentry crew of Italian prisoners of war, sketching and painting whenever he could. Once the war was over, he returned to Connecticut and concentrated on his painting, which was a lifelong occupation. Working in oil and acrylic, he was noted for his bold landscapes of coastal Maine. During his long career, his work was exhibited throughout Maine and the East Coast, beginning with a one-man show at the National Academy of Art in New York when he was 23. His work was later shown in galleries and museums including the Farnsworth, Portland Museum of Art, Bowdoin College, Maine Art Gallery, Pemaquid Gallery and several times at the University of Maine. His artwork is scattered all over the United States, as well as England, Mexico and Saudi Arabia. Steve also taught painting from his Newcastle studio, and his students almost always became his friends. He was able to work right through this winter, when he finished his last paintings for his three grandchildren.
In 1952, he married Patricia Cooney and settled in a house they restored on Glidden Street in Newcastle. They later designed and built the riverside house in which they spent 43 years together. The couple also owned a small island in the Damariscotta River which served as a family retreat for many years.
Steve’s other passions include classical music (he played the piano throughout his life), sailing (he built a small sailboat christened Patty H.), and the Boston Red Sox. He attended his first and last major league game in May at the age of 97.
He is survived by Patricia, his wife of 58 years; daughters, Stephanie Harrigan of Bailey, Col. and Roberta Howard of Scottsdale, Ariz.; stepson, Bruce Beaudette and wife Susan of Newcastle; grandchildren, Elliott Cline, Alex Cline and Tracy Darabaris; and four great-grandchildren.
Mr. Howard did not want any services, however, contributions in his memory may be made to the Lincoln County Animal Shelter, P.O. Box 7, Edgecomb, ME 04556.
Arrangements are through Smeltzer Family Cremation of Waldoboro.
