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1 of 1977 Photograph provided by Doug Howard (son)

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Imagefile	People\Howard_Ernest.jpg
Name	Howard, Ernest
Other Name	Ernest Leon Howard Ernest Lloyd Tracey
Birth Date	05/28/1926
Deceased	04/03/2010
Place of Death	West Salem, WI
Mother	Anna M. Mahlum Howard
Father	Lloyd Tracey
Spouse	Elizabeth Rosina Pertzsch Howard
Children	Sigurd Ernest Howard -- son Douglas Arthur Howard -- son Sandra Kay Howard -- daughter
Occupation	U.S. Navy corpsman -- late WWII, circa 1944-1945 La Crosse Transit Company bus driver -- circa 1965-1975 La Crosse Municipial Transit Utility bus driver -- circa 1975-1977
Role	Military
Education	Logan High School -- graduated 1944
Places of Residence	Holmen, WI La Crosse, WI Onalaska, WI West Salem, WI
Notes	Ernie Howard was born Ernest Lloyd Tracey to Lloyd Tracey and Anna Howard (née Mahlum) on May 28, 1926. His parents eventually divorced and Ernie went to live with his grandparents, Even and Andrine, in Holmen, WI. After completing grade school, Ernie moved back to La Crosse, WI, to live with his mother and stepfather, Everett W. Howard. Ernie graduated from Logan High School in 1944, subsequently serving in the U.S. Navy as a corpsman with the Seabees in Okinawa during WWII. After the war, he legally changed his name to Ernest Leon Howard shortly before he married Elizabeth Rosina Pertzsch on June 19, 1948 in Onalaska. With Elizabeth, he had a daughter, Sandra, and two sons, Sigurd and Douglas. Ernie would eventually begin working for the La Crosse Transit Company (later the La Crosse Municipal Transit Utility) circa 1965, and would go on to work as a bus driver for 12 years. His route, No. 3, served the city's south-southeast section and included Aquinas High School, Central High School, and St. Francis Hospital. Unfortunately, on October 15, 1977 at the age of 51, Ernie was suddenly struck with a paralyzing auto-immune illness known as Guillain-Barré Syndrome after a recent bout with the flu. Though Ernie would retire from bus driving due to his illness, he would slowly recover from total paralysis after being treated at Gundersen Lutheran Hospital and undergoing occupational therapy. He expressed his hope for full recovery when meeting his favorite country singer, Bill Anderson, after six weeks of being in the hospital. Although most patients of Guillain-Barré Syndrome eventually fully recover, Ernie unfortunately never fully regained his ability to walk, and remained disabled until his death in hospice on April 8, 2010.
Image Caption	Photograph provided by Doug Howard (son)

Related Records

1. Hat - 2012.011.01

   Modern military-style hat with a hard, shiny visor and soft navy blue crown. Hatband is an open woven cane-type material, providing ventilation. Front is decorated with light blue braid across top of visor, and shiny metal badge pinned to front of crown says "La Crosse Transit Co." and has a picture of a blue city bus on it. Interior of cap has a label with Ernest's name.

   Record Type: Object