Howard Oswald Haynie, age 92, passed away peacefully on October 14, 2024 in Leesburg, Virginia. Howard, born in Miskimon, Virginia on May 14, 1932, was the youngest of Samuel and Gertrude Haynie’s seven children. In his youth, he enjoyed the love of a large close-knit family and community of friends in the Northern Neck of Virginia. He went by the name Oswald or Oz, until he joined the Air Force.

Howard graduated from the University of Richmond with a B.A. in Economics in 1954. Upon graduation, he joined the United States Air Force and served as a Tactical Instructor at Sampson’s Air Force Base in Geneva, NY for two years. In February 1956, he was transferred to Randolph Air Force Base in Texas where he signed up for the computer division. After completing the IBM Machine Operators Course later that year, Howard was sent to Johnson Air Base in Sayama, Japan where he served in the Machine Accounting Unit. Howard left active military service in April, 1958, and was officially discharged in August, 1962. Howard often looked back on his Air Force days with pride and loved sharing stories and memories of his service.

After leaving the Air Force, he started his career working in the defense industry, first with Radio Corporation of America and later with Sperry Univac which merged into Unisys. He retired in 1998. While working in France for RCA, he met and married Maryvonne Montigaud on October 6, 1962 in Arcachon, France.

After living in France, Germany and Hawaii, Howard settled in Reston, Virginia in 1971, where he and Maryvonne raised their three daughters. He was an active and loving father. He coached softball teams, lined soccer fields and volunteered for booster clubs. Family was the center of Howard’s life. He cherished visits to his beloved Northern Neck, trips to France with his family and the annual Bethany Beach vacation.

Love of music was a constant in Howard’s life. At a young age, he learned to play the guitar and spent his life entertaining one and all. He wrote many songs for family gatherings that remain treasured family memories. He loved listening to and playing the Blues. He and Maryvonne traveled to all the famous Blues clubs in New Orleans, Memphis, Chicago and DC. He took great pleasure in retiring to his office in the evenings to play music.

Howard’s other great love was sports, especially tennis. He loved to play at the local tennis courts with his friends. He also enjoyed bowling, playing golf and throwing horseshoes. He often organized weekend trips to Cacapon State Park in WV with his friends where they would participate in a variety of athletic competitions.

Howard spent his retirement years in Williamsburg, VA enjoying the outdoors, traveling with Maryvonne and doting on his grandchildren.

Howard is preceded in death by his six siblings. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Maryvonne Montigaud Haynie; his three daughters, Carol Haynie, Sophie Reed and Vickie Jo Montigaud-Green; and six grandchildren, Erin Dwyer, Kerry Swanson, Jackie Dwyer, Dominic Einselen, Ivan Einselen and Stephanie Reed. His friends and family will miss his tremendous wit, humor and the fun he always brought to gatherings. He truly lived his life to its fullest; a wonderful legacy for all who admired and loved him.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Howard's memory to:

The DC Blues Society, 5335 Wisconsin Ave., NW, Suite 440, Washington, DC 20015-2052

https://www.dcblues.org/donations

Air Force Aid Society, Inc., PO Box 2208, Arlington, VA 22202

https://afas.org/donate/