Born to Carleton Linwood Kingford, Jr. and Frances Mae Kingsford (Allen) on June 25, 1945, Howard Allen Kingsford of Plymouth, MA died peacefully at home surrounded by his family on January 14, 2022, at the age of 76 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s/Dementia. He is survived by his wife, Gerri, children Dr. Carleton Kingsford of Pittsburgh PA, and Carriann McCarthy of Rochester, MA, as well as 7 grandchildren, 4 sisters, 2 brothers, and several nieces and nephews. He graduated from The University of Maine in 1969 with a degree in Chemical Engineering, where he met his wife, Gerri. While working for Eastman Kodak in Rochester, NY, he received his Professional Engineer’s License and continued to expand his engineering knowledge by obtaining fa Master’s Degree in Industrial Engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology and serving as a Fellow of the Advanced Study Program of Systems Reliability and Risk Analysis at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He later served as Vice President of Research and Development for Velcro Group Corporation in Manchester, NH, receiving many patents for his engineering work there and even appearing in an episode of the History Channel’s Modern Marvels. He facilitated the building of manufacturing plants in China and Mexico, as well as the United States.
Howard served in the Army from 1970-1972 as an Atomic Demolitions Munitions Specialist stationed in Germany, where his command of the German language earned him special assignments.
Throughout his life, Howard’s love for learning and his vast knowledge afforded him many hobbies and opportunities. He obtained the highest level of certification for his Ham Radio License, held a private pilot’s license, enjoyed woodworking, sailing, boating, metalworking, blacksmithing, construction, and farming, and throughout his life spent time restoring old cars, old boats, and old houses. He was always happy to share his knowledge and time with others, volunteering with the Boy Scouts of America, Special Olympics, and Destination Imagination. Howard was always ready to lend a hand or a tool to a neighbor or friend, and it was widely believed by those who knew him that Howard could fix anything.
In his retirement years, before moving back to New England, he lived in The Villages, Florida, surrounded by many lifelong friends and making many new ones. Howard and Gerri spent summers at their beach home in Biddeford, Maine, which he lovingly restored room by room.
One of the highlights of his retirement years was acting as a guardian for a 94-year-old friend on a Military Honor Flight from Florida to Washington, D.C. Howard’s generosity and kindness left an imprint on the hearts of all who knew him, and he will be greatly missed and fondly remembered.