Carey Arnold Howard was born November 23, 1962 in Pasadena, Texas to Don and Judy (Neeley) Howard. After a long battle with Sarcoidosis, he went to be with our Savior Jesus October 5th, 2023. He is now in a new body and enjoying being in the presence of our Lord.
He is preceded in death by his dad Don Howard and his grandparents.
Carey leaves behind to cherish his memories his wife of 31 years Janie (Smothers) Howard; his mom Judy (Neely) Howard; his daughter Jessica Percifull (Brad) of Jonesboro, AR; his son Randall Howard (Alexandria) of Ward, AR; his brother Joel Howard Jacksonville, AR; and his father and mother-in-law Eldon and Reba Smothers.
He also leaves behind five grandchildren Tyler Percifull of Conway, AR, Lucas and Jensen Percifull of Jonesboro, Jaxton and Laynie Howard of Ward, AR; his nephew Nick Howard (Paige) of Sherwood; great-nephews Kaiden, Noah, Luke; and great-niece Maelee. Along with his family, he will be missed by his church family, friends and colleagues.
He grew up in Texas, and moved to Maumelle, AR his senior year in high school where he quickly made many lifelong friends.
He started working when he was 10 delivering a local newspaper, and continued working his whole life. Among those jobs, he worked for Ben E. Keith with his dad. At work, he addressed his dad as “Mr. Howard”. He was once asked by a co-worker, “Why he did not call him dad at work?” He replied, “It’s out of respect. At work he is my boss, and at home he is my dad.” He went on to be a partner in a Sonic and work for Gwatney Chevrolet. But in 1996, he found the job he loved. He went to work for RFB Subways and later the company became Subway of Arkansas. There, he was quickly promoted to General Manager of Company Operations and was with Subway of Arkansas for 27 years.
He was a member of Faith Missionary Baptist Church for 12 years. During those years, he served his church and worked hard to help in several areas.
Along with Carey’s work, he loved being a son, husband, dad, grandfather, son in law, and a faithful friend. Yes, he loved his family and friends beyond measure. He was a rock and a hero. He never missed a chance to tell a funny joke or pull a funny prank. He enjoyed watching the Razorbacks and was a lifelong Cowboys fan. He will be sorely missed by all the knew him.
Carey’s arrangements are for this Saturday, October 14, 2023. Visitation is at 2:00pm with Memorial Service starting at 3:00pm at Faith Missionary Baptist Church; 301 Bill Foster Memorial Hwy E, Cabot, AR 72023. Graveside services and Urn Burial will be held at 2 PM on Thursday, December 28, 2023 at 16th Section.
We are asking in lieu of flowers, please make a donation to one of the following: Faith Missionary Baptist Church Building Fund, Faith Bible Institute Scholarship program handled through Faith Baptist Church, and Options Pregnancy Center
Arrangements by A Natural State Funeral Service 2620 West Main Street, Jacksonville, Arkansas 72076. 501-982-3400. Online guestbook available at www.anaturalstatefuneralservice.com
15 Comments
He was truly a great man and friend. His presence filled the room.
An honor to have known Carey and to call him friend. We miss him.
Carey taught me so much about management and of how to be a great person. He was my best friend he was always there for me for anything that I needed. We had many lunches together and he even was my best man at my wedding. I will miss him very much and can’t believe he is gone… I love you Carey Heaven is a better place having you there…
I know God will give you strength to get through the days that follow. The girls and I will hold you up in prayer
What a beautiful tribute!! We weren’t able to meet here on earth, but I look forward to our meeting
in Heaven.
Carey was my boss at subway Baptist. He was very humble person but meant business .To now Carey was to love him .There will never be another Carey Howard .My family is praying for you and your family in this difficult time.know to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. God bless you this day and always is my prayer
I was honored to of been a manager for him. He an Mrs Janie were there for me like no one else. We always talked about them cowboys that was my team as well. My husband got sick about the same time an I will always remember the kindness an of course jokes he always told. R.I.P an love Mr. Carey!
We became acquainted when our sons played ball together. We have had a friendship since then. Always a pleasure to visit with them both. I know Carey will be missed, but I can only imagine the beauty his eyes are beholding now as he enjoys a pain free body. ❤️
Carey you are being missed more than you could have ever imagined. Family, friends, and neighbors have all mentioned the joy you brought to our lives. This process of grieving your absence is eased with the truth that we will see you again when we all get to heaven. Thank you for the beautiful legacy you have left in our hearts.
He was a great boss, a great man and was like a big brother to me at times. He will be very much missed. He’s with our LORD now and watching over all those he loved. Praying for you all
I enjoy working for Carey, he was a down to earth person, he was always texting me with his jokes
I am Carey’s younger brother. I told him he knew where is going and the rest of us will be with him again when it is each of our times.
His presence and contributions in the world will be greatly missed. I love you my brother!
Cary left such a great legacy! Beautifully written.
Carey was an inspiration to us & his love for the Lord was very evident. We are thankful to have known this wonderful man!❤️
I have put off writing here because putting into words what Carey meant to me & WC is hard to put down on paper. He was a more than just a friend. He was our brother in the Lord. WC misses their talks. We both miss his texts with his funny jokes. Always asking if we were ok, even with all that he had going on. He was bigger than life, left an amazing legacy & is missed beyond words. Yes, he knew where he was going & WC & I will see him again. Save us a spot, you never know, could be today or many years down the road. Janie & family, we love you all & we are here for you!
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