Howard Alan Klukas

Howard Alan Klukas of Manchester passed away on July 15. He was 85 years old.
Born in New Britain, Howard was the son of the late Agnes Carlson Klukas and Edmund August Klukas. He was a 1956 graduate of New Britain High School. Howard served in the Army from 1961 to 1963. He was stationed in Germany and found the opportunity to travel to nine different European countries rewarding.
After returning from the service, Howard briefly attended Hillyer College in Hartford. His first love was construction. Due to economic conditions, he reverted to architecture as a living, and started working for an architect in Manchester. After extensive study, Howard became a Registered Architect. He was a member of the American Institute of Architects and NCARB.
Howard enjoyed a successful architectural career retiring in 1992 as a Vice President at Jeter, Cook, and Jepson Architects in Hartford. During Howard's time as an architect, he also constructed single and two family houses, retaining ownership of the two families, which he managed until he turned 78. Howard found pleasure in the details of finished carpentry.
Howard built his first house in 1961 on the Coventry Lake waterfront. It was a labor of love. He enjoyed sitting on the deck watching the UCONN racing sculls and simply relaxing. Howard followed the UCONN women's and men's basketball teams.
Since 1969 Howard resided in Manchester with his wife, Ronnie Klukas and thoroughly enjoyed their trips to the west coast and Florida.
In addition to his wife, Howard leaves long-time friends, Roy and Beverly Duff of Windsor. He also leaves his friend, Jonathan Gonzalez and his family of Simsbury.
He is survived by cousins, the Rev. Dr. Arnold Klukas of Ohio; Richard Klukas of New Britain; and Nancy Klukas of New Britain.
He was predeceased by beloved uncles and aunts: Arnold and Mary Klukas of New Britain and Eleanor Carlson Porter and Harold Porter of New Britain.
Also surviving Howard are a sister, Lee Mackenzie of New York City and a brother Martin Klukas and his family, of Vernon. He greatly missed his former brother-in-law, Neal Mackenzie.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Heart Association.Services with military honors were private. To leave an online condolence please visit www.holmeswatkins.com