Howard L. Heikkila age 93 of Belle Fourche, died Monday October 16, 2006 at the Dorsett Regional Health Care Center in Spearfish.

Graveside services will be held 9:30 am Saturday at the Gustav Cemetery, located north of Belle Fourche, near Camp Crook. Kenneth Riley will officiate the service, which will be followed by a time of fellowship and lunch at the Black Hills Gospel Assembly in Belle Fourche. A visitation will be held 3 to 7 pm Friday at the Funeral Home of the Northern Hills in Belle Fourche. In lieu of flowers memorials are preferred to the Alzheimer's Association.

Howard Leonard Heikkila was born May 29, 1913 in Lead SD. He was the son of Matt and Selma (Kermu) Heikkila. At the age of 3, Howard moved with his family to the Shortpines Hills area, near Harding where he grew up and attended school. Howard and his brother Ray ranched their whole lives in the Shortpines Hills area. On January 2, 1979 Howard was married to Verla (Josephson) Richard in Rapid City. Howard retired from ranching and following their marriage they lived in Belle Fourche. Together they were blessed with 27 years of marriage.

Howard was a special man. During his years of living and ranching with his brother Ray, Howard enjoyed doing most of the cooking and he will be remembered for the wonderful bread he would make. He and Verla had a great marriage and loved spending time together. They were fortunate to have traveled just about the whole country, including Hawaii, Alaska and all of the Canadian provinces. Howard enjoyed arrowhead hunting, crossword puzzles, bowling, baseball, and he will be remembered for his kittens and how he cared for them. For the past few years, Howard has been a resident at the Dorsett Home. His family is very thankful for the excellent care he received there. Howard will be missed greatly by his family and friends.

Howard is survived by his wife, Verla of Belle Fourche; step-son, Lester (Debbie) Richard of Campbellsville KY; step-daughters, Loretta (LeeRoy) Waugh of Yucaipa CA, Ruby (Paul) VanderMay of Long Valley SD, Margaret (Gary) Collins of Belle Fourche; brother, Reino "Ray" Heikkila of Belle Fourche; sister, Helen Johnson of CA; and several grandchildren and great grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents; and brother, Edward.