ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, November 23, 1996 TAG: 9611250153
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: NEWS OBIT
SOURCE: BETTY HAYDEN SNIDER STAFF WRITER
The Rev. Leo Howard, founder of the Roanoke Pastoral Counseling Center, died Thursday after a long illness. He was 58.
Howard, a Presbyterian minister, moved from Houston to Roanoke in 1974 and set up the Roanoke Valley's first religious counseling practice in Southwest Roanoke's Second Presbyterian Church.
Friends say he came to town with a conviction - that everyone is entitled to competent counseling regardless of whether they can afford it. The counseling center operates on a sliding-fee scale.
Howard retired in the past year because of chronic lung disease, the result of his two-pack-a-day smoking habit, he said in a March interview with The Roanoke Times.
For more than 20 years, Howard counseled families and individuals and taught others his craft.
"He was the best teacher I've every had," said the Rev. Larry Spouse, a colleague and close friend. "He was able to listen so well and understand you and make you feel not alone."
Sprouse, pastor of Melrose Baptist Church, met Howard in 1983 and became a counselor at the center in 1988..
Howard was known for the empathy and unconditional care he gave his clients.
"There are probably so many people in the Roanoke Valley who have been helped by that man," Sprouse said. "You're talking about a hero."
Sprouse said he also will remember Howard's wonderful sense of humor.
"He had a laugh that would make your heart just want to sing."
Howard is survived by his wife, Mary Beth; his son, Andrew Howard, both of Roanoke; and his daughter, Amy Howard Owings of Christiansburg.
The funeral will be held at 1 p.m. Monday at Second Presbyterian Church.
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