Howell Anthony Ivy

Howell Anthony Ivy, 80, of Milpitas, CA, passed away peacefully on May 22, 2026, surrounded by his family.

A celebration of life to honor Howell will be held on Saturday, October 24, at Valley Christian Schools in San Jose.

 https://pp.events/rememberinghowell_ivy 

He was born on March 19, 1946, in Norcross, GA, to the late Royal Ivy and Marcellia Ivy. Raised in Norcross, Howell found an interest in engineering at an early age, leading to his admission to Georgia Tech. After completing one year, he chose to serve his country and enter the US Air Force. There he worked on missile instrumentation, drone systems’ operation, and was an educator. Howell found his gift for instruction in the service, going on to teach hundreds of fellow airmen the core principles of electrical engineering.

In 1971, he was transferred to the Air Force Satellite Control Facility in Sunnyvale, CA. While there, he saw a demo of the early videogame, Computer Space, and said "I can do that”, and he did. He built a demo of his own, a version of Pong in which the paddle could be moved not just up and down, but in two dimensions, toward and away from the net as well. A friend took notice of his project, later showing it to their employer Ramtek, then a young company at the dawn of the coin-operated video game industry. Ramtek bought the rights to Howell’s game for $2,000 and hired him on the spot. 

Howell's keen mind for engineering and business led him to co-found the company Exidy. As its founding engineer and an executive, he developed more than 20 original titles, pioneering many world firsts in the arcade game industry. He later left Exidy to join Sega of America, where over nearly two decades he rose to President and COO.

Looking to give back to the community, he then volunteered at Valley Christian Schools, returning to his roots as an engineering instructor. There he built a platform and program that allowed over one thousand students to send science projects to the International Space Station. He pursued this work as a passion for sixteen years until the day of his passing.

He had a lifelong passion as a pilot of both fixed winged aircraft and helicopters. He was also a dedicated orchardist, having grown varieties of olives, grapes, apricots, apples, oranges, limes, lemons, cherries, pears, plums, peaches, and much more at his home in Milpitas, CA.

He will be remembered for his love for his family, his gift for seeing potential in his students and colleagues, and his joy in always finding new problems to solve.

Howell is survived by his wife, Christine; his sons, Mason Ivy of San Francisco, CA, and Brandon Ivy of Milpitas, CA; his sister, Anne Shelton of Cumming, GA, and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Howell's name may be made to the Youth With Promise Tuition Assistance Fund at Valley Christian Schools:

https://warriorclub.vcs.net/campaign/789563/donate?designation=1835289