Cleek, Howard Melvin Obituary

Cleek, Howard Melvin attended Horace Mann High School in Gary, IN. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about Cleek, Howard Melvin.

Graduation Year	Class of 1944
Date of Passing	Apr 06, 2017
About	Howard M. Cleek peacefully passed away at the age of 91 in Santa Barbara, CA where he lived with his beloved wife of 67 years, Rose (Kuzyk) Cleek. Howard was born in Gary, IN to Lloyd and Katherine (Kaeff) Cleek. After graduating from Horace Mann High School in Gary he enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps for flight training during WWII. Before completing flight training the war ended and he returned home. Howard worked in the steel mills in Gary for several years before going to school at Purdue University in Indiana. During this time, he met his wife Rose and they married in 1949. He received his degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1951 and then went to work for AC Spark Plug Division of General Motors Corp. They moved around the country with his job and his final transfer in 1972 was to Delco Systems Operations in Goleta, CA where he worked until he retired in 1986. Every Sunday at 11:00 AM you could find Howard ushering at St. Raphael's Church. He also enjoyed traveling, camping with his Lazy Daze group, making toys with the GM Retirees Workshop, and especially any activities that included his family. Howard was preceded in death by his parents and his brother Bob. He is survived by his wife, Rose; his sons Jerry (Rofel) Cleek of Newbury Park, CA; Ken (Rene) Cleek of Bakersfield, CA and grandchildren Tiffany, Valerie, Marissa and great-grandson Joshua Kenneth Cleek; his daughter Patti (Mark Sr.) Duell of Santa Barbara and grandchildren Mark and Shannon.