Charles Bryan Howe

         Charles. B. Howe

          November 16, 1935 - March 27, 2026

           Chuck's Obituary Written by Chuck

Chuck Howe, age 90, a third generation Coloradoan, born in Fort Lupton, Colorado and longtime Boulder, Colorado resident died March 27, 2026. Cause of death was COPD. He left behind a much-loved family and a long career of state and community service. He was a lawyer who worked hard and played even harder.

 Among the many legal roles played out in his diverse professional career were: private practitioner, Governor's consultant, municipal judge, city attorney, assistant county attorney, state legislator, Chief Deputy Attorney General and adjunct faculty instructor at the University of Denver and University of Colorado law schools. His legal services were performed for the State of Colorado, City of Boulder and many municipalities across the state including Aspen, Aurora, Broomfield, Edgewater, Lakewood and Wheat Ridge.

 For over 35 years Chuck was a member of the Army Reserves, rising in rank from an enlisted corporal in an Infantry Regiment (1950's) to commissioned Colonel in the JAG Corps (1980's).

 After attending schools in Fort Lupton and Loveland Chuck worked his way through seven years of college at the University of Denver where he received degrees in business, law, and public administration. Upon graduation and completion of ROTC training he was assigned to Fort Monmouth, New Jersey where he met his first wife.

 Following active duty in 1962 he settled in Boulder where his two children were born. His first job was legal counsel for the Colorado Municipal League, a nonprofit association of cities and towns, where he drafted and lobbied several state laws. Later in the decade he established his own law firm specializing in municipal law and home rule charter consultation.

 His opposition to the Viet Nam war prompted him to become an active Democrat and a delegate to the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago. In 1972 he was elected to the Colorado House of Representatives where he served four terms.

 As a legislator he led the successful effort to decriminalize Colorado's marijuana possession laws. He also was the sponsor of the State's original "Right to Die" law which authorized the terminally ill to write living wills. Following a divorce in 1978, he married Mary B. Calhoun and formed a blended family with five children. In 1981 he left law practice to accept a position in the Colorado Attorney General's office. In the ensuing decade he was appointed Chief Deputy in both Democratic and Republican administrations, an historic first which recognized his nonpartisan management of the legal staff.

 Upon his retirement from state government and the military he concentrated on reading, writing, historical trivia and his favorite recreational pastime ---pickup basketball.

 Though he authored many legal publications and penned articles for the Colorado Historical society he is best known locally for his chronicle of his near 80 years of

involvement with basketball entitled "Who Says Trash Talk Doesn't Win Games --- a Platte River Boy's memoir of seven decades of pickup basketball!" His lifelong

wit and humor were on display in this writing. Thanks to D&K Printing this publication has been distributed to hundreds of Boulder area hoopsters and others who were acquainted with the author "Chuck Chuckles."

 Young Chuck's introduction to politics came in the 1948 presidential whistle-stop campaign when he and his Republican father supported Tom Dewey over Harry Truman. Decades later he learned that Truman, an unpopular President at the time, was ranked as one of the country's greatest chief executives and that led him to become an aficionado of U.S. presidential trivia.

 In recent years friends who interacted with Chuck on this and other trivia subjects would appreciate his euphoria over the results of the 2020 presidential election. Unfortunately, he did not live long enough to witness the defeat of "Trumpism."

 He leaves behind his beloved wife and soulmate, Mary. Surviving children and stepchildren currently living on both coasts include: Charles Scott Howe (Lita Matibag), Marii Sebahar, Mary Calhoun, Laurie Calhoun, Julie Calhoun-Roepnack (Robert); a sister, Myrna Heimer (Norman); a granddaughter, Claire Sebahar; as well as several nieces and nephews.  

Chuck Howe wanted to be remembered as one who genuinely liked other people and preferred a good joke, a scintillating conversation, a challenging trivia question or a spirited basketball game over pursuit of wealth. Not one to be defined by a single job he enjoyed exploring the many facets of law in his working career. He lived a fulfilling life because he constantly worked at making life interesting for himself and others.

 No services are planned as Chuck considered them to be a waste of life's precious moments. 

 Contributions may be made in his memory to PBS Denver (Public Broadcasting), Boulder Humane Society, or Boulder, CO Meals on Wheels.

His family and close friends plan to celebrate his life at a later date.