Howard Morgan Blackford III

Howard Morgan Blackford III was born on May 25, 1949, in Washington, D.C. to the parents of Howard M. and Edith Tanner Blackford Jr. He departed this life on May 8, 2026 at the family's residence located in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.

Howard was baptized at Bethlehem - Upper Room Baptist Church where he was later a member of the Christian Teens in Washington, D.C. He also fellowshipped at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Roman Catholic Church during his adolescence. In his adult life, he frequented military chapels offering services for both denominations.

He attended schools in Washington, D.C. before volunteering for Army military service at the age of seventeen. After finishing basic training, he completed paratrooper school prior to serving in Germany. He later transferred to the Armor Tank Corps and spent eighteen months stationed in Germany before deployment to Vietnam.

Following his honorable discharge, he served in a civilian role as a Security Police Officer in the D.C. Government. He later moved to the Maryland Eastern Shore and secured a truck driver position with the Campbell Soup Company. Next, Howard maintained a fifteen-year career with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit (METRO) and facilitated bus and Metrorail service throughout the region. Until his retirement, he managed security personnel in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia for a private security firm.

In 2008, Howard was admitted to the Washington Veterans Administration Medical Center, but he later transferred to Martinsburg West Virginia Medical Center (MWVMC). He remained hospitalized at MWVMC for more than two years. After MWVMC discharge, he resided in Martinsburg for more than thirteen years and warmly described the community as "peaceful, calm, friendly, and his place to be." When he decided to relocate to Maryland, hospital staff and patients, as well as members of the Martinsburg community, telephoned and visited to share how much they would miss him. Many tears were shed. The Blackford and Browne families have repeatedly expressed their appreciation to the Martinsburg community for readily accepting Howard as a member of their family. He ultimately returned to Maryland on April 17, 2026.

Howard loved his family and life. His passion for many years entailed building a large hobby train display, and he loved to attend Amtrak and other train exhibitions. He was known for his sleek, fast sport cards and cherished owning Corvettes, Nissan 280 Zs, and Mazda RX-7s. He enjoyed traveling to different cities and Canada but never flew in an airplane after returning from Vietnam. Howard also enjoyed collecting DVD movies and watching old westerns, Law & Order, and sports including baseball, hockey, and football. He was a "die-hard" Washington Commanders fan and promptly telephoned his friends and family who supported the Dallas Cowboys when their team lost.

Howard, we will miss you dearly. Yet, memories of you will last until the end of time. We will see you again in the UPPER ROOM.

The surviving members of the family are his sister, Cynthia B. Browne; two daughters, Alia Blackford and Lakeia Blackford; and a host of grandchildren, great grandchildren, nephews, nieces, and cousins. Howard was preceded in death by his son, Duane Blackford, and daughter, Angela Murray.