The Stroud family mourns the loss of C. Vernon Howard, an attorney with our firm for over 40 years and a pillar of the Madison legal community. Vern passed away on May 25, 2017 at the age of 82. Although a South Dakota native, Vern made Madison his home. He graduated from the UW in 1957 with a degree in Economics and a Commission as an Ensign in the US Navy. The day after he graduated, he married his college sweetheart, Marilyn Ann Tasker. From 1957-1960, Vern was stationed on the USS Bausell, where he was deployed twice to the Pacific and Asia. After his stint in the Navy, Vern attended the University of Michigan Law School. After graduating in 1962, Vern and Marilyn moved back to Madison and Vern began his legal career as an associate at the Stroud law firm, then Stroud, Stebbins and Stroud. In 1999, the firm reorganized as Stroud, Willink & Howard, LLC to commemorate the names of long standing members of the firm, Seward R. Stroud, Donald R. Stroud, Donald D. Willink, and C. Vernon Howard.
Professionally, Vern was well-known and respected throughout Madison as a top-notch estate planner, earning many accolades from colleagues and clients alike. Vern was routinely selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® and named as one of Madison’s best estate planning attorneys by Madison Magazine. Vern was active in the legal community, serving as president of the Dane County Bar Association and chairman of the State Bar Taxation Section. Vern passed on his legal expertise through his work as a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Council. He also helped shape a new generation of estate planners as an adjunct Professor at the UW Law School. Vern’s indelible impact on the Dane County legal community is documented in the Dane County Bar Association’s publication Lawyers Who Shaped Dane County: A History of The Practice of Law in the Madison Area.
Personally, Vern was dedicated to serving the Dane County community. He was an active member of Covenant Presbyterian Church and a dedicated supporter and past president of the Madison Downtown Rotary Club. He was beloved by his Stroud colleagues and was known for his collegiality and wisdom. Vern’s countless contributions to the firm and the Madison community have left a lasting legacy that Stroud is proud to honor.
Vern’s obituary can be found at: http://www.channel3000.com/obituaries/c-vernon-howard-jr/524968704
