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The community lost not only a law enforcement officer, but a church musician, a father, a friend, says the widow of Deputy William Howell Jr.
Howell was killed in the line of duty early Saturday.
“I know if He required him, he had run his course,” Michelle Howell said. “I just miss his presence here.”
In addition to being an Orangeburg County sheriff’s deputy, William Howell was a church organist, a position his family believes he now holds in Heaven.
Deputy Howell would have turned 47 on June 12. But he answered a call early Saturday that turned fatal. The man who friends called “Mac” was shot once during a domestic dispute at a Holly Hill residence. He never regained consciousness, officials said.
“It’s our faith that’s holding us together,” Michelle said. “He enjoyed his life. He said, ‘I’m here today; I might not be here tomorrow.’”
Natives of Florida, the couple met at a Miami skating rink in 1988, where Howell was “very good at skating,” she said.
On their first date, the couple went to the movies to see “The Mighty Quinn,” a Denzell Washington release about a police chief.
Later, Michelle would learn her husband was a movie buff, eventually building an impressive array of VHS and DVD movies.
“I don’t think he had a favorite actor; he just liked movies,” she said. “If he had a favorite, it would have to be Jackie Chan or Steven Seagal.”
Howell didn’t spend much time to himself but sometimes tinkered on cars or went fishing on a pond. He preferred going places and doing things, his wife said.
“He wasn’t an outdoors type of person; he was an entertainment type of person. He just had to have fun,” Michelle said.
Howell’s sister, Sherrie Howell, agreed, saying her brother could nearly always be seen smiling or making jokes.
“He liked to crack jokes,” Sherrie Howell said, herself smiling at her recollections. “When you joke around with him, you crack a joke and he’s going to come back.”
But Howell’s life was centered around his family. Along with their sons, the Howells made trips at least twice a summer each year to theme parks such as Carowinds, Six Flags or Universal Studios. A camping trip had been planned for later this month.
“He was just a family man, very family-oriented,” Michelle said. “If he had the day off, he’d be ready to go to Myrtle Beach.”
Those who knew the deputy say it may have been the peacefulness of his God-centered home life that he took with him when he answered domestic calls.
Howell’s father, the Rev. William B. Howell, said when was informed of how his son died, it didn’t surprise him.
“He wants to get in there and mend the family,” the Rev. Howell said. “And when he leaves there, he wants the family back together.”
But in this instance, early Saturday, there appears to have been no repair, no solution, no mending. Two men were killed as a result; a woman is being questioned by police. Two families have been devastated.
View the video reponse of Deputy Howell's father and sister.
Michelle Howell said she could hardly believe the words she heard on what she describes as “the longest day of my life.”
“I don’t even remember, really,” she said. “Shocked, surprised. I never ever considered that that would happen.”
Michelle said she had a special name for William. She said she couldn’t share that, however.
Regardless, special names are for special people, and William was just that to her. Today, she doesn’t just miss his laugh, his smile, his boyish excitement about another family trip.
“Everything, I miss everything,” Michelle said, her voice trailing off to a whisper. “The softness of his voice, his face.”
T&D Staff Writer Richard Walker can be reached by e-mail at rwalker@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5516.