Howard E. Wayland

Howard E. Wayland of Lebanon, CT—engineer, farmer, neighbor and family man—passed away at the age of 85 on March 19, 2018. He retired in 1995 after three decades at Electric Boat as an electrical engineer working on navigational systems for submarines; before that he helped design Boeing’s Saturn V rocket that launched astronaut Neil Armstrong into space. But he loved farming most of all and moved his family to a 39-acre farm on the Lebanon Green in 1977, thereafter spending his “free” time tending his herd of cattle and making hay on the Green.

Although he grew up on and then ran a 200-acre dairy farm in western Pennsylvania, Howard was the quintessential Connecticut Yankee farmer: imbued with common sense, taciturn use of words, frugal ways, stoic toughness, and the ability to fix anything. He was known for his dry wit and his unfailing willingness to help his neighbors. He had a deep connection to the natural world and a strong commitment to the Lebanon community and its history, which led to his work to protect the town’s unique agricultural heritage. He served as President of the Lebanon Historical Society, Tree Warden, member of the Conservation and Agriculture Commission, Treasurer of the Sons of the American Revolution, and Chair of the Cemetery Commission. He recently worked with the USDA, State of Connecticut, Connecticut Farmland Trust, the Town of Lebanon and others on a conservation easement for his farm to protect his prime farmland and allow residents and visitors alike to enjoy the pastoral views that he treasured. He also had an artistic streak and engaged in painting, furniture making and wood-turning.

Howard was predeceased by his beloved wife, Alicia, in December 2016. He is survived by his son Joseph Wayland and his wife, Patricia Verrilli, of New York, and their children Christopher, Daniel and Matthew; his daughter Karen Wayland and her husband, Robert Herbert, of Washington DC and Nevada; his son Charles Wayland and his wife, Laurie Schlueb, of Montana and Alaska, and their children Spencer and Levi; his sisters Bonnie Stahlman and Edna Michael, and brother Bob Wayland, all of Pennsylvania; his brother Paul Wayland of New York and Florida; and numerous nieces and nephews. The family will receive guests Sunday March 25th from 2 – 4 pm at the Aurora-McCarthy Funeral Home, 167 Old Hartford Rd, Colchester.  A Memorial Service for Howard will be held at 4 pm at the funeral home.  Burial will be held privately in the historic Liberty Hill Cemetery, Lebanon.  In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Lebanon Vol. Fire Dept., P.O. Box 51, Lebanon, CT 06249, whose emergency responders answer the call to save lives many times a day.  For online condolences please visit www.auroramccarthyfuneralhome.com

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