Joe Howanec

Joe’s life on earth began December 1, 1956. His parents, Joseph and Mary (Tomazin) Howanec were thrilled. Joe grew up in Houston, PA. On January 8th, 2026, Joe met Jesus face-to-face, entering eternal life and gaining his greatest joy and victory. Joe’s parents and still-born brother preceded him in death. He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Lois (Morris) Howanec, his siblings Michael Tomsic, Jean (Tomsic) Popovich, Richard and Janice (Marchezak) Tomsic, and Robert and Joanne (Duckworth) Howanec. Joe is also survived by his brothers and sisters in-law, Ruth (Morris) Moore, Keith Morris, Ron Morris, and Karen (Morris) Moriarty, who consider Joe to be a dear brother, and by numerous nieces, nephews, and special friends. Joe met his Lois when he was a student at Penn State, Dubois, studying Wildlife Management. He loved the outdoors and enjoyed hunting trips with family and friends. Joe worked in the field of orthotics and prosthetics with Hershey Medical Center and Lawall at Hershey, a skilled technician whose braces and prosthetics changed the lives of his clients. Joe worked meticulously in everything. He has completed beautiful woodworking and remodeling projects with Lois working by his side. They worshipped together, enjoyed their cats, loved friends, hiked, visited beautiful places, and quietly supported those they love. An avid baseball fan, Joe played as a young boy in little league, in high school and college, and in a church league into his 50's. He even had a Pirates license plate on his dream truck, a hot pepper red Ford Ranger. Joe's life changed when he began a daily walk with Jesus. In his quiet way, Joe shared his faith. His godly example impacted many family, friends and coworkers for Christ, along with medical caregivers during his journey through cancer this past year. Well done, good and faithful servant; enter into the joy of your Lord! A service to honor Joe and celebrate his life will be held Saturday, January 31, 2026 at Community Bible Church, 331 Anderson Ferry Road, Marietta, PA 17547. Visitation is from 10-11am. The memorial will start at 11am with a meal served immediately after. For those unable to travel, a live stream can be accessed at _____________(link), starting at 11am EST. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made instead to Community Bible Church Mission Fund at cbcpa.org; to Lancaster Cancer Center at 703 Lampeter Road, Lancaster PA 17602 or to Hospice And Community Care at 4075 Old Harrisburg Pike, Mount Joy, PA, 17552.

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Joe Howanec

December 1, 1956 - January 8, 2026