Remembering the life of Howard Esty (2024)

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Groveland - It is with great sadness that we must announce the passing of our loving patriarch on Sun Sept 22, 2024. Howard was born April 9, 1935, in Groveland, MA, during a blizzard, to Ralph A Esty and Vera M Bagley. Howard was the baby of the family and grew up and lived in Groveland his entire life; he was a true "townie". Howard was the direct descendant of Mary Towne Easty/Esty (6th great grandmother) and Rebecca Towne Nurse (6th great aunt) who were both accused and hung during the Salem Witch trials in 1692. Howard endured struggles with his education due to difficulty with reading but that never stopped him from memorizing what he learned and maintained a sharp mind throughout his life. He often shared stories of Groveland in the early days before new housing emerged, how his father had the first snowplow in Groveland, having a true ice box for a refrigerator, farming, and of course, his life spent at the family business, Ralph A Esty & Sons Lumber Co, just a few houses down from the Groveland homestead on Main St. Howard left school when he was 16, shortly after his father died, to work at the lumber company alongside his brothers, Hobart and Roy. Howard could be found in the sawmill daily where he was responsible for making sure the logs were debarked, cut into various sizes, trimmed, and stacked. He made life-long friends who worked there or frequented the sawmill.
Howard's first marriage brought forth his only natural daughter, Sandra, who he spent much time caring for, along with her siblings, while their mother, Jan Esty, sang country and western songs around New England in the early 1960's. A few years after his divorce he showed up at the house of his new love interest and said, "I've got the donuts, if you've got the coffee", which led to a lifetime of memories with Shirley (Sanders) Shumaker. Howard and Shirley were married in 1972 and lived in Groveland where they purchased 15 acres on King St and lived a farmer's life. He wholeheartedly took on the role of "Dad" to Shirley's children, Kevin and Kim, and together they all ran the farm including haying, chopping firewood, raising his beloved Herford cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys, ponies, dogs, and even peacocks. "A farmer's work is never done" was the motto they lived by. For the past 47 years Howard never complained when the barn was transformed each October for Halloween, and he would often be found serving cider and donuts to the hundreds of children who visited the Esty barn each year.
Howard's mind stayed sharp right to the end and would talk and reminisce about many topics. Once he got talking, boy, he kept on talking, but we loved him for his ability to share so many amazing stories. He was always cracking jokes and enjoyed making people laugh. He loved to watch sports, especially football and basketball, and loved watching tractor pulls and car races all his life. Howard was proud of his children's, grandchildren, and great grandchildren's lives and accomplishments.
He was predeceased by his parents and all siblings, Ralph Jr, Hobart, Frederick, Barbara Maughan, Roy, Greta Craven, who recently passed on Aug 1st
Howard and Shirley celebrated almost 51 years of marriage before Shirley passed away in June 2023. He is survived by his children, Sandy
Corriveau (husband Marc), Weare, NH; Kevin Shumaker (wife Dr. Nita), Hixson, TN and Kim Ocasio (husband Herman), Haverhill, MA. His loving grandchildren, Melinda Currier, Michael Corriveau, Alexander Shumaker, Dr. Rocklin Shumaker, Jonathan Watkins, Terisa Bianchi, Melissa Drake, Herman Ocasio, Isiah Ocasio and Mason Ocasio. His legacy continues in his 21 great grandchildren. He is also survived by sister-in-law Rosalie Esty, nephews, and nieces, and we are indebted to family friends and angels on earth who have helped to take care of the farm when Howard's medical conditions stopped him from tending it...Tony Fontes and Jerry Hill, both of Groveland, and a special friend Doug "Cookie" Cook, who worked at the lumber company as a teen and remained a lifelong friend of Howard for 54 years.
We would like to sincerely thank the staff at Aspen Hill Rehab in Haverhill for taking such good care of Howard these past few months and became his family there, and we express our sincerest gratitude to his daughter, Kim, for her compassionate caring for our father over the past 8 years.

Family and friends are kindly invited to Howard's visitation on Wednesday afternoon, September 25th from 5 to 8pm in the Conte - Giamberardino Funeral Home, 14 Pleasant Street, Georgetown. For funeral home directions, florists or to share memories of Howard with his family, please visit www.cgfuneralhomegeorgetown.com

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