James Eugene Howe Jr., known to all as “J.J.,” went to be with Our Heavenly Father on Saturday, May 20, 2017, in Show Low. He was just a few days shy of his 20th birthday. All of his family, as well as friends, are warmly invited to J.J.’s funeral service at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 26, at the Downtown Chapel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 300 N. 11th St. in Show Low, where the visitation will begin one hour prior. The concluding service and interment will immediately follow at the Show Low Cemetery. J.J. was born on Friday, May 23, 1997, at the Navapache Hospital in Show Low. His mother is Robyn Lynn nee Boggs and his father is James Eugene Howe Sr. He attended Linden Elementary School until the sixth grade, and later attended both Show Low and Blue Ridge high schools. J.J. had a heart of gold. He was a gentleman and always wanted to help those in need. Whenever called to serve, he was there. At a young age, he was taught good manners. He always held a door open for ladies and was extremely polite. J.J. was the protector of our family and wanted nothing more than for us to be happy. He was an extremely bright young man and was very interested in Japanese culture. With the help of his sister, Amii, he learned to speak, read and write Japanese. Too, he always ate his supper with chopsticks. J.J. had an incredible collection of knives and swords, and he used them as his tools. He was an outdoorsman and loved everything outside. He was a skilled archer and loved to go target shooting. He was a strong young man and worked for a time stacking drywall. In his free time, J.J. enjoyed playing games on the computer. Survivors include his mother and stepfather, Robyn and Juan Arroyo of Linden; father and stepmother, James Eugene Howe Sr. and Sandy of White Mountain Lake; his siblings, Christopher (Amanda) Cassels of Vernon, Amethyst Baker of Tucson, Damian Boggs of Linden, Nathaniel Baker of Pinetop, Kenda Sue Ellsworth of Linden and Chrystal Lewis of White Mountain Lake; his grandparents, James and Suzanne “Sue” Boggs of Linden, Eustolia and Jose Arroyo of Mexico, Eva and Les Ayres of Sun Lakes, and Brian Cassels of Tucson; and his aunt and uncles, Denise Renner, Frank Corbet, II, Fred Boggs and Joshua Boggs. He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Margaret Walker and Elmer James Bercier; and his stepmother, Karen Howe. Owens Livingston Mortuary of Show Low was in charge of the arrangements.
