Howard Austin Ireland passed peacefully on the evening of March 21st, 2026 surrounded by his adoring family.
Born in Englehart, Ontario on September 2nd, 1931, Howard lived a long & full life. On December 28th of 1955 he married Rita P. Ireland (nee Cayen) & until her passing in September 2022, they were constantly together.
Howard began his career delivering milk in a horse-drawn wagon. He afterward became a yard clerk for the Ontario Northland Railway in Englehart. It was in the 1960's that he began his career with the OPP (Ontario Provincial Police) in Sudbury, where he retired with the rank of Constable, receiving several awards & honours during his time on the force. The very best years of his service with the OPP were those in which his winter duty included the snowmobile patrol. This was a time of real joy for him & tales were still told of his adventures right up to the time of his passing. Howard was a prolific gardener & that garden was the envy of the neighbourhood with added benefit of keeping family & friends in fresh produce for many months of the year.
In the years immediately preceding retirement at age 53, Howard & Rita enjoyed their time snowmobiling, spending time at their camp near Gogama, which he built by hand. Every piece of material for the building was transported approximately 7 miles across water or ice with patience & care. Once they sold the camp, they spent their time traveling throughout Canada & the US in their fifth wheel trailer.
After Rita's passing in 2022, he moved for the 1st time in 60 years to live with his daughter Jillian & his grandchildren, Sam & Carly. Their home was just what he needed & these years were the very best of his long life. More love & attention were lavished on him during this time than he had experienced up to this point. His day-to-day life was spent watching the neighbourhood from the patio doors & keeping his mind sharp with crossword puzzles & the like. Jillian, Sam & Carly treated him like a king & he basked in it. When his mobility required relocating to a home without stairs in 2025, he moved to Westmount Retirement Residence where he soon became a part of the community there.
Howard's long-term kidney issues would have discouraged many lesser men, but he always maintained that dialysis was not an issue; he just continued enjoying his life. In November of 2025, he had an unfortunate fall that resulted in a broken hip, which began his physical decline.
His girls & their families will always be grateful for the exceptionally wonderful Dad he was to us. He was an incredible man & Father, loved by his family beyond measure. The life that he & our Mom provided were the roots that showed us how to love & live.
Howard was predeceased by his wife Rita, his parents, Gerald & Mary Ireland, his sister Geraldine (Ireland) Armstrong, his son in law Kevin White & by several aunts & uncles & their family members.
He is survived by his 3 daughters, Jo-Ann (John) Mlakar of Pennsylvania, Jayne (Ron) Kolbe of Orillia, & Jillian White (Kevin – predeceased) of Garson.
In addition he is survived by his grandchildren, John (Barbie), Wayne (Allis), Diedre (Gary), Jenni, Jason (Tara), Sam, Carly, his great-grandchildren Melinda, Maylynn, Brian, Caitlyn, Kaycie, Tristan, Simone, Brandon, Dakota, Noah, Benjamin, Maddison, Kennedy, Hudson, Lola, Charlotte and Isla, as well as his 1st great-great grandchild Mackenzie.
Per Howard's wishes, no services will be held. Please consider making a donation to Maison McCulloch Hospice or your favourite charity in his honour.
Howard's family would like to express their deep gratitude to Doctor Crichton & his team for the wonderful care & attention he received. We are so very grateful!
We are so very saddened to have lost our beloved Dad / Grandpa, but much more grateful to have loved him and been loved by him.