Jeremiah Winsett Howard

It is with deep grief and so much love that we mourn the passing of Jeremiah Winsett Howard, of Crystal Lake, IL, on October 2nd, 2025, at the age of 45.

Jeremiah was born on July 3rd, 1980 in Meridian, MS to Kaye Carr (Hayes) and Wayne Howard, who survive. He is also survived by his wife, Amy Howard; his children, Avari and Winsett; his brother Aaron Howard (Michelle) of Gulf Shores, AL; sister Hannah (Chuck) Howard of Duck River, TN; sister Sarah (Will) Howard Seipp of Miramar, FL; his grandmother Shirley Howard of Deerhead, AL; his stepmother Martha Kilborn Howard of Gulf Shores, AL; his stepfather George Lewis of Caledonia, MI; many nieces and nephews; and his beloved dogs Hank and Pretty.

He is preceded in death by his maternal grandparents Calvin and Eunice Hayes and his paternal grandfather Henry Howard, as well as his stepfather, Davis Carr.

Jeremiah grew up in South Alabama. He was never much for books or school, but he played the drums in the Foley High School marching band and percussion ensemble. He spoke fondly of his memories of competing nationally and the excitement he felt performing in front of large audiences. He graduated from Foley High in 1998.

Growing up on the Gulf of Mexico was where he first found his love for water. He loved being near water almost as much as he loved being in it, especially the ocean. He was fascinated by marine life and visited aquariums all over the country and the world.

At 19 years old, Jeremiah left Alabama and moved to the northern suburbs of Chicago to live with his mom and her husband. While he originally had dreams of going to culinary school, being a chef, and one day opening his own restaurant, he ended up with a career in sales. Over the years he sold many things—cameras, software, salon products, and restaurant supplies, but he’s remembered for being smart, charismatic, and generous with his time, gifts, and knowledge to both his clients and colleagues.

He met his first wife, Leah Howard (nee Hamilton), in 2002 and they married in 2004. They lived their life together in Vernon Hills, IL for thirteen years. Their daughter, Avari Marlene, was born in 2008 and their son, Winsett Jeremiah, was born in 2010. Jeremiah cherished the moments he spent with his family most—apple picking, pumpkin patches, days at the beach or pool, trips to Six Flags, family bike rides, Fourth of July parades, Halloween activities, hosting Thanksgiving, and as he used to say, watching football with his eyes closed.

Jeremiah and his second wife Amy Howard (nee Sterne) met in 2016, bought the property they named Howard Hill in 2018, and were married there in 2019. On “the Hill,” Jeremiah finally had space and land to pursue his love for gardening. He proudly grew all their plants from seed, took pride in composting, seed-saving, and learning about and utilizing sustainability practices.He wanted to take the best care of his corner of the planet as he could. His passion for gardening went hand-in-hand with his passion for food. Food was his love language—if he cooked for you; he loved you. He was talented and intuitive in the kitchen.He canned, pickled, preserved, and dehydrated all the things they grew in their garden, but he especially loved tomatoes. Hebuilt a smoker by hand where he smoked his own bacon andhomegrown peppers for paprika.

He loved all kinds of music—Country, Americana, Blues, Jazz, Folk, Rap, 90’s Alternative, and Classical. He loved to see live music, he loved to dance, and he was good at it—he had innate rhythm.

Jeremiah was tender-hearted. He took great care of plants, animals, and people alike. He had a special place in his heart for things that had been abandoned or discarded. He picked up old furniture from the roadside and repurposed it into things both useful and beautiful. He cared for stray and injured animals, adopted kittens, fostered puppies. He was the type of man who would pull over on a busy highway, put his blinkers on, and run into the road to grab a turtle and set it out of harm’s way.

More than anything he loved his wife, his children, and his dogs. He used to say it was his life’s mission to make Amy belly laugh at least once a day. He took care of her in ways both big and small—with morning lattes, meals cooked with love and kitchen dancing, making sure she always had her allergy meds, and transforming their property into a place that was beautiful, safe, and felt like home. He loved watching Avari and Winn at their band and orchestra concerts, Avari’s volleyball games and Winn’s football and basketball games. He was so proud of their academic accomplishments and the individuals they were becoming. He loved spending time with his family, especially over a big meal around the kitchen table or a bonfire. He had grown to love family vacations. He was a homebody at heart, so travel was not his favorite thing, but he loved watching the faces of the people he loved as they experienced the world anew.

He will be forever remembered and missed by those who knew and loved him.

Memorial Donations may be made to one of the following organizations or directly to the care of his children:

Go Fund Me -https://www.gofundme.com/f/jeremiah-howard-in-support-for-avari-winn

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention -https://afsp.org/

Hope for a Day - https://www.hftd.org/

NAMI Illinois - https://namiillinois.org/crisis-info/

International Association for Suicide Prevention - https://www.iasp.info/

Alliance of Hope - https://allianceofhope.org/