Howard G Biggs

Howard Garrett Biggs was the eldest child born to the union of Howard Maceo Biggs and
Mary Elizabeth Garrett-Biggs on April 7, 1939 in Los Angeles. His parents, brother Ronald Witherspoon and sister Thelina Vern preceded him in death.

Howard was raised by Genevieve and Edward Powell in Sacramento. There, he attended public schools and graduated from The Grant Union High School. After graduation, he enlisted in the United States Navy where he served and received an honorable discharge.

Howard retired from the Alameda County (AC) Transit System as a transit operator after thirty-two years of service. While working for AC, he made time to study mortuary science. He became a licensed mortician and worked at several funeral homes in the Bay Area during his off hours before retiring from the profession.

He was a man of many talents, interests and accomplishments and had a great sense of humor.

Friends were often treated to five-star restaurant quality meals that he prepared from recipes in his extensive library of cook books. He was also a skilled tailor. He maintained several sewing machines that he used for various projects. Computer technology, ancient Egyptian history and culture, the History Channel and watching movies from his extensive DVD collection were just a few of his pastimes. He was curious about many things and demonstrated it by pursuing various subjects with the zeal of a scholar.

Howard was also an accomplished organist. He loved the sound of the Hammond organ and made space for the instrument and its Leslie speaker in his living room. His interest in music was likely a genetic trait that he inherited from his father, who was a professional pianist, composer and arranger, and whose Howard Biggs Orchestra worked closely with many famous musical artists including Dinah Washington, Dakota Staton and Brooke Benton.

During his life, he was a member of the Martinez Masonic Lodge #41 and the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry.

He was baptized into the Roman Catholic Church on May 06, 1984 and remained a devout Catholic, attending masses at the former Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales and later at The Cathedral of Christ the Light, both in Oakland.

Howard is survived by two brothers, William Lee Albright 1st of Federal Way, Washington and Samuel Howard Biggs (Omolara) of Houston, Texas; niece, Ruby Joyce Biggs of Houston; step-sister Renee Flack; cousins, Orien Jeans and Shirley Jeans; family members in California, Washington and New York, and many friends and neighbors.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Howard G Biggs, please visit our floral store.