POWNAL, Vt. —  POWNAL Kenneth W. Howard, 81, of Pownal, VT, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by family on April 30, 2026.

Ken was born on May 14, 1944, in North Adams, Massachusetts, to Wallace and Alice (Haigh) Howard. He graduated from Mt. Greylock Regional High School in 1962. As a teenager, he spent many hours working at the Chenail Dairy Farm and later attended a year of college, spent a winter skiing in Colorado and worked construction for a few years until he settled into a career at Steinerfilm in Williamstown, MA, where he worked for over 35 years until his retirement in 2015.

Ken met his wife, Kathy, in 1967. They built a house in Pownal and together created a life filled with family and friends. Ken enjoyed working in the yard, growing garlic, riding his jet ski and keeping in touch with old friends and classmates. He especially loved being at the lake and family camp in Wilmington, Vermont, which he built alongside his father in the late 1960’s. Ken was an avid skier throughout his life, passing his love of the sport on to his children and skiing well into his 70’s. In more recent years, Ken and Kathy spent winters in Sebastian, Florida, where they made many lasting friendships.

Ken is survived by his wife of 57 years, Kathy, and his two children - Kristin Howard and her husband Erbin Crowell of Shelburne Falls, MA, and Nathan Howard and his wife Sara Howard of Fairfax, VT. He also leaves grandchildren Elias Crowell, Anna Howard, and Lily Howard. In addition, he had numerous other family members and close friends, including sister Janet and brother-in-law Robert Goren of Lafayette Hill, PA, nephew Dan Goren of Conshohocken, PA, niece Jessica Orland of Churchville, PA, Pete Richard of North Adams, MA, Joseph Hunt of Wyantskill, NY, and Josh Baker of Newbury, MA. Ken and Kathy’s large network of friends includes Ellen and Tom Morelli of Stephentown, NY, Carmela and Mike Kovage of Bennington, VT, Debbie and Ron Jennings of Shaftsbury, VT, Panky and Nancy Goswami of Bennington, VT, and all of their camp community in Wilmington.

The family wishes to thank the staff of the Dartmouth Cancer Center in Bennington, particularly Dr. James Kalmuk, who treated Ken and his family with honesty and compassion throughout Ken’s illness, as well as the staff of Hospice of Southwestern Vermont who supported Ken in his last days.

Calling hours will be held on Monday, May 11th from 4 to 7pm at Flynn & Dagnoli Funeral Home at 521 West Main St. in North Adams, MA. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Dartmouth Cancer Center in Bennington at https://svmc.org/donate/give-now or the VNA & Hospice of the Southwest Region at https://vermontvisitingnurses.org/donate/. Mailing addresses for contributions are Cancer Center at SVHC Foundation, 100 Hospital Dr, Suite 41, Bennington, VT 05201 (note “cancer center” in memo line) and the VNA & Hospice of the Southwest Region, 7 Albert Cree Dr, Rutland, VT 05701.