Obituary of Edward W. Houghton

Edward Wilfred Houghton, entrepreneur extraordinaire and current student transportation specialist for the Horseheads Central School District, passed away unexpectedly from a sudden illness this past Tuesday, February 7th, 2023, surrounded by his family. Born on August 11, 1962 in Columbus, Ohio, to Charles Joseph Houghton and Grace Lemke Houghton, he was the oldest of 3 children, followed by his sisters Ellen Margaret and Emily Maria 5 and 10 years later. The family moved to Vestal, New York, in the year of 1964, where they became a staple of the community for the duration of his life. They moved to Italy when Edward was 8, where he was enrolled in an Italian language speaking elementary school. He quickly fell in love with the language and the people, and became a native level speaker almost as quickly. This awakened in him an insatiable appetite for language that-even with his fluency in several-was never fully satisfied. As he grew older, his love of languages persisted, along with a thirst for knowledge of all sorts that became a staple of his persona for the decades to come. He attended Vestal High School, where he graduated in 1980. During those formative years, he would regularly attend church and school dances, where he was a constant presence on the dance floor. He was known far and wide for his self given promise to make sure every girl in the church would get a chance to dance. After he graduated high school, he served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Switzerland, where he served the people with love and devotion. His love of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which was always a large part of who he was, increased greatly during this time, giving him ample time to devote to the study and works of the Savior. It was also during this mission that Edward developed a life-long appreciation for only the finest chocolates, and he brought up his family with this important tenant as well. He returned home from his mission 18 months later, and after a year at Brigham Young University, went to Binghamton University where he received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science in 1986 and an MBA in 1995, and was never wrong thereafter On December 3rd, 1986, in Silver Spring, Maryland, he met his future spouse, Rebecca Alene Packard, when they both were at a church event which neither had any rhyme nor reason to attend. They began dating 3 days later, and on and off for the next year as he ill-advisedly continued his promise to dance with every girl at dances. He finally realized the error of his ways and he proposed to Rebecca on December 5th, 1987. They were married and sealed for Time and all Eternity in the Washington, DC Temple 6 months later on June 17th, 1988. The following years brought much joy as Rebecca and he were delighted by the arrival of each of their five children, Blake, David, Michael, Alene, and Frankie. They thrived on the chaos of a full house of their own children as they moved around the Vestal area for the next 15 years, and never failed to open their doors to friends, family, neighbors, Church members, and even strangers – and often shared whichever meal was next. Edward was an incredibly talented, accomplished vocal musician, and spent 10 years with the Tri-Cities Opera Company. He didn't just have a love of Opera and Classical music, but also had a love of music of all genres. He introduced his children to some of his favorites at a young age, and found favorites from his children as well. His favorites ranged from the likes of Tom Petty, Queen, and Journey to more recently developed appreciation for artists such as Lady Gaga, Smash Mouth, and Taylor Swift. Edward and his family have spent a majority of their life in Upstate New York, being in the Horseheads area for the past 17 years. He worked for several companies in that time and obtained his PMP, and was most recently employed with the Horseheads Central School District as bus driver, or as he put it, "Precious Cargo Transportation Specialist", which despite the prestige of previously held positions, was his favorite vocation of his life. There is much more one could say about Edward, about his works and his life. He had a razor-sharp wit. He took up woodworking and proved to have a gift for it, demonstrating an inherent understanding of design without any formal training. He had written 100,000 words of his novel. He learned – and won – highly complex video games that he played with his son David. He was passionate about playing and reading with his grandchildren. His love for others was felt far and wide, and the mark he has left on the lives of many is as large and deep as his laughter, which could reach the farthest recess of any great opera house, as he projected his voice no matter how close you were standing. He is survived by his wife, Rebecca, his father Charles, sisters Ellen (Brett Clay), Emily (Rich Gast), his children W. Blake P. (Cassie Hollister), David E. W., Michael A.T. (Silka Evans), Alene M. (Kyle O'Connell), R. Frankie (Josh Ross), as well as his six grandchildren, Charlette Houghton, Xander Edward Blake Houghton, Marcus Ross, Aria Houghton, Penelope Ross, and Albert Houghton. The Funeral Service will be held Saturday, February 18th, 2023 in the chapel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 1060 West Broad St, Horseheads, NY 14845. Calling hours will be from 10-10:45, and the funeral will begin at 11.