June 2, 2017
The Stroud family mourns the loss of C. Vernon Howard, an attorney with our firm for over 40 years and a pillar of the Madison legal community. Vern passed away on May 25, 2017 at the age of 82. Although a South Dakota native, Vern made Madison his home. He graduated from the UW in 1957 with a degree in Economics and a Commission as an Ensign in the US Navy. The day after he graduated, he married his college sweetheart, Marilyn Ann Tasker. From 1957-1960, Vern was stationed on the USS Bausell, where he was deployed twice to the Pacific and Asia. After his stint in the Navy, Vern attended the University of Michigan Law School. After graduating in 1962, Vern and Marilyn moved back to Madison and Vern began his legal career as an associate at the Stroud law firm, then Stroud, Stebbins and Stroud. In 1999, the firm reorganized as Stroud, Willink & Howard, LLC to commemorate the names of long standing members of the firm, Seward R. Stroud, Donald R. Stroud, Donald D. Willink, and C. Vernon Howard.
Professionally, Vern was well-known and respected throughout Madison as a top-notch estate planner, earning many accolades from colleagues and clients alike. Vern was routinely selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® and named as one of Madison’s best estate planning attorneys by Madison Magazine. Vern was active in the legal community, serving as president of the Dane County Bar Association and chairman of the State Bar Taxation Section. Vern passed on his legal expertise through his work as a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Council. He also helped shape a new generation of estate planners as an adjunct Professor at the UW Law School. Vern’s indelible impact on the Dane County legal community is documented in the Dane County Bar Association’s publication Lawyers Who Shaped Dane County: A History of The Practice of Law in the Madison Area.
Personally, Vern was dedicated to serving the Dane County community. He was an active member of Covenant Presbyterian Church and a dedicated supporter and past president of the Madison Downtown Rotary Club. He was beloved by his Stroud colleagues and was known for his collegiality and wisdom. Vern’s countless contributions to the firm and the Madison community have left a lasting legacy that Stroud is proud to honor.
Vern’s obituary can be found at: http://www.channel3000.com/obituaries/c-vernon-howard-jr/524968704
Thank you for contacting Stroud, Willink & Howard, LLC, via our website. We have included this notice to inform you that any communication with us through this website does not constitute or create an attorney-client relationship with us. Please note that we cannot act as your attorney or provide you with any legal advice until we know that doing so will not create a conflict of interest. Until we have agreed to represent you, anything you send us will not be confidential or privileged, and you should not send sensitive or confidential information through this website.
By clicking "Submit" below, you agree that our review of any information you send to us will not create a lawyer-client relationship with us, and you recognize that our review of your information, even if it is highly sensitive and even if it is transmitted in a good faith effort to retain us, does not preclude us from representing another party directly adverse to you, even in a matter where that information could and will be used against you. If you would like to discuss the possibility of potential legal representation, you may request a consultation by e-mail or by calling our office.
