Howard Edwin Pollard passed away peacefully on December 31, 2021. Howard was born on August 23, 1936 to Audrey (Young) and Edwin Pollard in Oak Park, Illinois. He attended the all-boys, Dominican Catholic Fenwick High School where he was a skilled marksman and excelled at swimming. The summer before he left for college, Howard met Mary Terese Heidgen, beginning their 67 years together. Howard attended the University of Notre Dame where he studied physics and engineering, earning his baccalaureate degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1958. Howard continued at Notre Dame for graduate school and joined the faculty in September 1959 as an Engineering Drawing instructor. In the summer of 1959, Howard and Mary Terese wed in the Log Chapel at Notre Dame. Their first child, Julie, was born 9 months later.

After graduating with his M.S. in Mechanical Engineering in 1960, Howard and his young family moved cross-country to a small apartment on Easy Street in Mountain View, California, an eyebrow-raising address to their Catholic parents. His new position at Lockheed began his long and successful career in aerospace engineering. Formulating white paint to protect satellites from solar radiation was one of his earliest research achievements. Late in life, he recounted stories from these early years of his career with a youthful excitement that belied his 80+ years. A natural storyteller, Howard would detail the progression of laboratory trials, failures, and discoveries—like when he inadvertently created X-rays in the shared lab space—all with a humble mischievous grin and a twinkle in his eye.

About six years later, Howard began a decades-long career at Philco-Ford/Ford Aerospace/Space Systems Loral in Palo Alto where he became a world-renowned expert in celestial photovoltaic systems, which continue to be in use today, including the International Space Station, Hubble Telescope, and countless weather and communications satellites. In 1975 he earned his MBA from Santa Clara University. After "retiring" from Ford in 1999, Howard joined Emcore, a young photovoltaics company in Albuquerque. During his 40+ years in the aerospace industry, Howard worked on a variety of projects, ranging from classified federal projects to the inaugural 1987 World Solar Challenge, a solar powered vehicle race across the Australian outback. Howard pioneered optical system technology for satellites, and held three U.S. patents for his inventions in solar cell technology.

Howard relished the international travel that came with his career, and he embraced the cultural experiences in each of the different places he visited throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, and the U.S. Howard shared these life-enriching opportunities with his wife and children. Howard and Mary Terese seized the opportunity of having adult children (i.e., live-in babysitters) to travel the world together. Upon returning, they would share their experiences with their children through classic 35-mm slide shows, projected onto the dining room wall. Some of his children were especially lucky to travel with him on business trips to Germany.

Howard was a loving, caring husband and dedicated, selfless father who was always there for his wife and 9 children (Julie, Daniel, Christopher, Cynthia, Kathleen, Elizabeth, Sarah, Matthew, and Anne). Despite working long hours all week, he spent his weekends tackling house projects, repairing the family's evolving fleet of VWs, tending his biodynamic vegetable garden, driving his sons on their bicycle newspaper routes during rainstorms, coaching his daughters' softball teams, and leading his sons' Boy Scout troops.

Howard shared his love for the outdoors and the natural world with his family, teaching his children camping, fishing, hunting, woodworking, gardening, and so much more. He enjoyed fly fishing in the Sierras on family camping trips and transformed the den closet into a compact fly-tying studio to support this passion. He even introduced two of his children (Sarah and Matthew) to the craft, bringing them to classes at a young age and sharing his special work-space with them. In his limited free time, Howard enjoyed camping and backpacking with his wife and children, growing his large vegetable garden, woodworking, exploring unique foods, and reading voraciously.

He passionately valued learning and worked tirelessly to provide all his children with a high-quality K-12 Catholic education as well as opportunities for exploring the world through hands-on experiences. He was a lifelong supporter of his alma mater Fenwick High School and was a committed supporter of Saint Francis High School, where his 9 children were enrolled continuously for 23 years. All his children graduated from college and went on to earn various graduate and professional degrees.

Howard is survived by his wife of 62 years, Mary Terese, their 9 children, 32 grandchildren, and 11 (with 3 on the way) great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his parents Audrey and Edwin Pollard and his sister and brother-in-law Audrey and Vincent Lecher. A rosary will be said at Sacred Heart Church in Saratoga on Thursday January 13, 2022 at 7:00 PM. A funeral mass will be held at Sacred Heart Church on Friday January 14, 2022 at 11:00 am, followed by a burial at Madronia Cemetery at 2:00 PM. Masks are required.