Posted on 07/13/2017
HARRY MARSHALL HOWTON "Pete" (Age 74)
Pete Howton, a Washington-area businessman and former Navy officer, died of cancer on July 6, 2017. He passed away peacefully at home in Falls Church, VA, with his family by his side.
He was born in Bristol, VA, in 1942, the son of Harry G. Howton and Frances H. Howton. Mr. Howton grew up all over the world as the son of an Air Force officer, though his family had deep roots in Alabama. He was a 1961 graduate of Fishburne Military School in Waynesboro, VA. In 1966, he graduated with an engineering degree from the U.S. Naval Academy.
Mr. Howton's years as a U.S. Navy officer included service in Vietnam in command of a Swift boat. He earned an M.S. in oceanography from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA. In 1975, he retired from the Navy and went to work at Syscon Corp. in San Diego.
Mr. Howton was a true entrepreneur. He founded several companies after his military service, including three successful government contracting firms: Kestrel Associates, Gray Hawk Systems and finally Kingfisher Systems.
In 2005, he sold Gray Hawk to ManTech International Corp. Until his recent illness, he remained actively involved in running Kingfisher. His companies have been on the Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing private companies nine times.
Mr. Howton defined "family" broadly and valued it above all else. Another core value was education, and he generously supported many relatives and friends in their educational pursuits.
His first marriage was to Louise Alpert, with whom he had three children: Elizabeth Howton (Nana) of Falls Church, VA, Martha Sottosanti (Mark) of La Jolla, CA, and Chris Howton (Donna) of San Diego, CA. He later married Barbara Francis, with whom he had two children: Sylvana Howton and Annabeth Howton, both of Falls Church. He also leaves two sisters, eight grandchildren, and many other relatives.
A service will be held Wednesday, July 19 at 11 a.m. at St. Alban's Episcopal Church, 6800 Columbia Pike, Annandale, VA. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the American Cancer Society.
Published in The Washington Post on July 13, 2017