Engineer ran his first marathon at age 54 and made a home in Underhill for more than 50 years
Howard “Howie” McRae of Underhill, Vt., died on February 15, 2025, at the Arbors in Shelburne, Vt., after a long battle with Parkinson’s. He was born on October 15, 1943, in Taunton, Mass., where he graduated from Bishop Coyle High School in 1961. A quiet, deliberate man, Howie had a kind heart, an endearing chuckle and a belying twinkle in his eye. He lived, always, a very service-before-self sort of life, whether it was at work, at church, in the home, in his adopted Pleasant Valley or at the wax bench for the Mount Mansfield Union High School cross-country ski team. Athletics weren’t an opportunity for Howie as a kid, so his primary focus was academics. After high school, he commuted to Boston College, earning a degree in chemistry before continuing his education as a graduate student at Notre Dame. It was at his first job out of college, with Westinghouse Defense and Space Center near Baltimore, where he met Nancy Stewart, a fellow engineer. Nancy and Howie married on July 29, 1972, in Texas, Md., and quickly set a goal of moving to Vermont within two years. In summer 1973, they purchased a run-down farmhouse on Pleasant Valley Road in Underhill, Vt. The newlyweds quickly became active in the tight-knit farming and outdoor communities: raising pigs and horses, cutting firewood, clearing trail, and skiing — lots and lots of skiing. Son Rob and daughter Sue arrived in 1976 and 1977 and were quickly recruited to help out around the place. They were encouraged to pursue any sports they desired: soccer, downhill and Nordic skiing, horseback and bike riding. Howie and Nancy picked up many of these sports, too. Howie was an early adopter of mountain biking in the ’80s. In Vermont, Howie worked at Haveg Super-Temp, later named Champlain Cable, to develop specialty wire insulations. He later worked for Belden Wire and Cable in Essex, Vt., and Richmond, Ind., and consulted for Belden in Nogales, Mexico. He finally retired from Harbor Industries, where the production staff extolled him for his kindness and for being one of the few engineers who took the time to really explain the processes to them. In the valley, free time was initially spent painting the house, replacing clapboards, refinishing wood floors, or tearing out plaster and lathe — great kindling for their two woodstoves. Soon that free time became consumed by following Rob…
Engineer ran his first marathon at age 54 and made a home in Underhill for more than 50 years
Howard “Howie” McRae of Underhill, Vt., died on February 15, 2025, at the Arbors in Shelburne, Vt., after a long battle with Parkinson’s. He was born on October 15, 1943, in Taunton, Mass., where he graduated from Bishop Coyle High School in 1961. A quiet, deliberate man, Howie had a kind heart, an endearing chuckle and a belying twinkle in his eye. He lived, always, a very service-before-self sort of life, whether it was at work, at church, in the home, in his adopted Pleasant Valley or at the wax bench for the Mount Mansfield Union High School cross-country ski team. Athletics weren’t an opportunity for Howie as a kid, so his primary focus was academics. After high school, he commuted to Boston College, earning a degree in chemistry before continuing his education as a graduate student at Notre Dame. It was at his first job out of college, with Westinghouse Defense and Space Center near Baltimore, where he met Nancy Stewart, a fellow engineer. Nancy and Howie married on July 29, 1972, in Texas, Md., and quickly set a goal of moving to Vermont within two years. In summer 1973, they purchased a run-down farmhouse on Pleasant Valley Road in Underhill, Vt. The newlyweds quickly became active in the tight-knit farming and outdoor communities: raising pigs and horses, cutting firewood, clearing trail, and skiing — lots and lots of skiing. Son Rob and daughter Sue arrived in 1976 and 1977 and were quickly recruited to help out around the place. They were encouraged to pursue any sports they desired: soccer, downhill and Nordic skiing, horseback and bike riding. Howie and Nancy picked up many of these sports, too. Howie was an early adopter of mountain biking in the ’80s. In Vermont, Howie worked at Haveg Super-Temp, later named Champlain Cable, to develop specialty wire insulations. He later worked for Belden Wire and Cable in Essex, Vt., and Richmond, Ind., and consulted for Belden in Nogales, Mexico. He finally retired from Harbor Industries, where the production staff extolled him for his kindness and for being one of the few engineers who took the time to really explain the processes to them. In the valley, free time was initially spent painting the house, replacing clapboards, refinishing wood floors, or tearing out plaster and lathe — great kindling for their two woodstoves. Soon that free time became consumed by following Rob…