Howard E. Echard Jr., 63, of Butler passed away at 4:56 p.m. Tuesday at the Good Samaritan Hospice Unit at Concordia.

He was born Sept. 24, 1948, in New Kensington to the late Howard E. Echard Sr. and Isabella (Hooks) Echard.

He worked for the Pullman Standard Car Co. until it closed in 1973, and then he worked for the Butler VA Medical Center as a firefighter, retiring in 2004. He was a Methodist.

Howard was a veteran of the U.S. Navy, serving in the Vietnam War. He was a volunteer firefighter and EMT for the Unionville Volunteer Fire Company.

Howard is survived by his wife, Meade Echard, who he married Aug. 29, 1970; one daughter, Kathy Shuler and her husband, Joshua, of Butler; one granddaughter, Aubrey Shuler; one brother, John Echard and his wife, Cindy, of Murrysville; five sisters, Joan Powell and her husband, Jack, of Lower Burrell, Pat Landis of Lower Burrell, Sara Bodnar and her husband, John, of Arnold, Kathy Stone and her husband, Keith, of New Kensington and Alice Briggs and her husband, Daniel, of Vandergrift; and a number of nieces and nephews.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by one son, Paul Echard, and two sisters, Barb Carroll and Janice Farah.

ECHARD — There will be no public visitation or funeral service for Howard E. Echard Jr., who passed away Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2012.Arrangements are being handled by the Thompson-Miller Funeral Home, 124 E. North St., Butler.Online condolences can be given at www.thompson-miller.com.