Obituary for Howard Hughes
HOWARD JOHN HUGHES “H” July 11, 1933 - January 6, 2023
Aviator, Engineer, Entrepreneur, Husband, Father & Friend to many…
Howard’s journey with us ended peacefully on Friday January 6th 2023.
“H” was born in Liverpool, England 1933 to John and Anne Hughes. Joined in 1939 by his brother Peter, H’s formative years were WW2 (sleeping nightly in their backyard bomb shelter), losing their father in his teens, working through school graduating from the University of Liverpool, Engineering. He enjoyed jazz, photography, cricket, cars, motorcycling and building/flying model aircraft.
H and Peter immigrated to Canada in 1960 sailing on RMS Sylvania to a new life of opportunity & prosperity in the new world.
Landing in Montreal, they knew only each other and with $100 each took a train to Toronto. Working with new immigrants they quickly found work & were relocated to Willowdale. Within a few years he was working for Pilkington Glass as representative of the company sales in North & Central America.
H met his wife of 56 years, Mary Murphy in Toronto and were married on February 26, 1966.
Howard & Mary, Peter & Patricia (Peter’s wife) all lived together in Toronto & started building small sailboats which quickly evolved into Hughes Boatworks and was purchased by US Steel in the early 1970’s. During this period H had pursued his dreams of aviation & relocated to a property outside Orangeville, where they built a large family home with a landing strip and aircraft hanger. They had 3 children: Robert Howard Hughes, born June 1969, Christopher Charles Hughes, August 1971 & Jill Mary Hughes, November 1974.
Graduating from a life-long hobby of model aircraft building to flying airplanes and helicopters, the entire family, Howard, Mary, Peter, Pat, Rob, Chris & Jill all became pilots. The house in Orangeville and the family home in Venice Florida (also next to an airport) were a hub of activity full of family and friends. Coffee served most mornings with visitors and dinner hosted with many colourful guests (many of whom lived with us) and the door was literally always open.
The next decades saw H as a serial entrepreneur who forayed into manufacturing GM motor coaches, refurbishing aircraft, reacquired Hughes Boatworks (Northstar Yachts), acquired Columbia Yachts, manufactured swimming pools & operated a motorhome rental business. Through many tremendous highs and lows Howard was always a rock of comfort, guidance, council and friendship to his family and many friends.
Through Howard and Mary’s retirement years they spent much more time in Florida and also eventually relocated to Collingwood, where they continued to host many social gatherings.
H leaves behind a big void and will be so missed by many, many people. His immediate family Mary, Jill and husband Johnny Lim, Chris and wife Michelle, grandchildren Andrew & Robert all love him dearly.
Rest In Peace H
Memorial visitation will be held at the Dods & McNair Funeral Home, Chapel & Reception Centre, 21 First St., Orangeville on Sunday, February 5th, 2023 from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm.
A tree will be planted in memory of Howard in the Dods & McNair Memorial Forest at the Island Lake Conservation Area, Orangeville. 21st Annual Dedication Service will be held on Sunday, September 10, 2023 at 2:00 p.m.
Condolences may be offered to the family at www.dodsandmcnair.com
Aviator, Engineer, Entrepreneur, Husband, Father & Friend to many…
Howard’s journey with us ended peacefully on Friday January 6th 2023.
“H” was born in Liverpool, England 1933 to John and Anne Hughes. Joined in 1939 by his brother Peter, H’s formative years were WW2 (sleeping nightly in their backyard bomb shelter), losing their father in his teens, working through school graduating from the University of Liverpool, Engineering. He enjoyed jazz, photography, cricket, cars, motorcycling and building/flying model aircraft.
H and Peter immigrated to Canada in 1960 sailing on RMS Sylvania to a new life of opportunity & prosperity in the new world.
Landing in Montreal, they knew only each other and with $100 each took a train to Toronto. Working with new immigrants they quickly found work & were relocated to Willowdale. Within a few years he was working for Pilkington Glass as representative of the company sales in North & Central America.
H met his wife of 56 years, Mary Murphy in Toronto and were married on February 26, 1966.
Howard & Mary, Peter & Patricia (Peter’s wife) all lived together in Toronto & started building small sailboats which quickly evolved into Hughes Boatworks and was purchased by US Steel in the early 1970’s. During this period H had pursued his dreams of aviation & relocated to a property outside Orangeville, where they built a large family home with a landing strip and aircraft hanger. They had 3 children: Robert Howard Hughes, born June 1969, Christopher Charles Hughes, August 1971 & Jill Mary Hughes, November 1974.
Graduating from a life-long hobby of model aircraft building to flying airplanes and helicopters, the entire family, Howard, Mary, Peter, Pat, Rob, Chris & Jill all became pilots. The house in Orangeville and the family home in Venice Florida (also next to an airport) were a hub of activity full of family and friends. Coffee served most mornings with visitors and dinner hosted with many colourful guests (many of whom lived with us) and the door was literally always open.
The next decades saw H as a serial entrepreneur who forayed into manufacturing GM motor coaches, refurbishing aircraft, reacquired Hughes Boatworks (Northstar Yachts), acquired Columbia Yachts, manufactured swimming pools & operated a motorhome rental business. Through many tremendous highs and lows Howard was always a rock of comfort, guidance, council and friendship to his family and many friends.
Through Howard and Mary’s retirement years they spent much more time in Florida and also eventually relocated to Collingwood, where they continued to host many social gatherings.
H leaves behind a big void and will be so missed by many, many people. His immediate family Mary, Jill and husband Johnny Lim, Chris and wife Michelle, grandchildren Andrew & Robert all love him dearly.
Rest In Peace H
Memorial visitation will be held at the Dods & McNair Funeral Home, Chapel & Reception Centre, 21 First St., Orangeville on Sunday, February 5th, 2023 from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm.
A tree will be planted in memory of Howard in the Dods & McNair Memorial Forest at the Island Lake Conservation Area, Orangeville. 21st Annual Dedication Service will be held on Sunday, September 10, 2023 at 2:00 p.m.
Condolences may be offered to the family at www.dodsandmcnair.com