John Howard Jennings “Howard” Master Butcher

“Not just today but  a lifetime through, we will always treasure the memories of you.” 

Howard passed away suddenly at home on 15th November 2021 aged 81 years.

A much loved Husband, Dad & Grandad who will be so sadly missed and lovingly remembered by all his family & friends.

His funeral took place on Friday 3rd December at Crewe Crematorium Chapel at 12.15pm

Kind donations in memory of Howard are going to The British Lung Foundation.

For further information and to offer your condolences, please telephone our Funeral Home on 01270 584447

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John Howard Jennings, fondly known as Howard throughout his life.
Howard was incredibly well known in Crewe, much admired and respected by all
who had the pleasure of knowing him and he could never venture far without
someone instantly recognising him, even when abroad sitting on a bench in Playa de
las Americas in Tenerife, two of his customers were sat on that same bench and
began chatting!
He was and always will be a caring, loving and amusing husband to Jean, married
for fifty-five years with never a dull moment! He had two daughters Susan and
Alison, he was a brilliant father in law to Gary, a doting and adoring grandad to Ellie
and Jake, much loved brother to Mike, Veronica, Clive and Stephen, brother in law to
Keith, Ally, Pat and Pam, a dearest uncle to Helen, Andrew, Darren, Steven, David
and Rachel, a great uncle and good friend to many, particularly his drinking buddies,
Mick and Sue, Ray and Caroline and his lifelong friend Denis and wife Denise.
Born in Crewe on 2nd July 1940, Howard was the second eldest of five children. He
attended school but disliked it and it seems throughout his childhood his attention
was well and truly elsewhere! His passion for football started as a young lad and
continued into later life. In fact, he signed for Crewe Alex reserves but after twelve
months left to play in the Sunday League with his mates. He once made headline
news in the Chronicle, the headline read: “He might have got away with it if he
hadn’t played so well!”
Howard Jennings has had an eight-week suspension and a severe reprimand from
the North-western Sunday Football League because he was too keen and played for
two teams on the same day! Howard, a twenty-one-year-old butcher of Audley
Street Crewe played for his own club, Crewe Argyle in the morning and three hours
later turned out for Real Crewe without signing registration and transfer forms and
under a false name!
He scored his side’s only goal (for both teams!) and was earmarked by the League
Officials for a place in the “Rest Team” to play the League Champions. Inquiries
were made and Howard’s misdemeanour came to light! Mark Johnson, secretary of
the league and Argyle Crewe said the incident was bad but as soon as his
suspension expires, he will be back in the Argyle team.
Howard told the Chronicle “Real Crewe were in a jam and I agreed to help them out.
The match was at Kidsgrove and I didn’t expect to be found out!”
Going back to his school days, Howard was often up to mischief, he and six lads
were told to plant some seeded potatoes but instead, they went off and threw them
at unsuspecting passer’s by and their punishment was not being able to play in a
football match.
He also started smoking as a youngster and once when he and his mates were
having a crafty fag in the alley behind Henry Street near his home, someone
shouted, “here’s your dad”” He was sent home but wasn’t too bothered because he
was confident his dad would forget after a few drinks in the Cumberland, as soon as
his dad got in, Howard got a good old clout round the earhole!

Despite being a rumun at times, Howard was a boy scout, confirmed at Chester
Cathedral and he sang in the choir at St Peter’s Church for seven years with his
older brother Mike.
When he was just thirteen, he worked in a fishmongers and then as a butcher’s boy
at Dickinsons where he learnt all aspects of the job.
At the age of fifteen, his dad decided Howard could become a butcher by trade and
Howard had to pay his Uncle George, six pence for a knife, steel and chopper, to
begin his lifelong career as a Master Butcher except for four hours when he went to
work at Rolls Royce, he couldn’t bear being in a factory with so much dust so he
walked out and got his previous job back.
His first full time job was at the Co-op butchers in Crewe town centre, he then
worked at the butcher’s shop within Woolworths where he met the love of his life
Jean. She even remembers their first date was in August 1961 at the Odeon
(although she told her parents she was going to Crewe Carnival) and apparently
thought he was incredibly handsome.
Howard modelled himself on the actor Tony Curtis and Jean smiled as she told me
he used to admire himself in the mirror and comb his thick black hair whilst singing
the theme from the Camay Soap advert, “You look lovelier each day when you use
Camay!” Incidentally, his hair was his pride and joy throughout his life. As the years
went by, he kept a good head of hair albeit it was a nice shade of grey but if anyone
ever went near his Tony Curtis locks, he instantly quipped, “watch my hair!” And
Jean always thought how lucky she was he chose her!
But Howard once told his mate Ray that when he saw Jean come down the steps at
the bus station then admired her figure as she walked along, he instantly knew she
was the girl he was going to marry!
Eight months after he and Jean married, Howard got his own shop in the Castle
Building just outside the market, he worked in several supermarkets and had a shop
on West Street and inside the market until he retired.
He always went to work smartly dressed in shirt, tie and trousers, in fact he never
even owned a pair of jeans yet around the house, his favourite attire was trousers
and vest and he very often forgot to change out of his slippers when going shopping.
Jean was convinced it was on purpose, so he didn’t have to get out of the car!
He was a real people person and loved the banter with his customers but also with
his staff. Paula said she intended to work for just two weeks and stayed with him for
ten years. Mick Washington said working for Howard was like being part of a big
family, they all became good friends and socialised outside of work.
His favourite time of the year was Christmas, even more so when his beloved
grandchildren arrived.

Over the years, every Christmas morning, he would get up early to help Susan with
her horse Frankie but watch from the comfort of the car whilst telling her to hurry up!
Other mornings when he didn’t go with her, he usually had the kettle boiled and
coffee ready for when she got home; and, he used to say Frankie would outlive him,
well he has! Frankie is now thirty-two despite having had nine lives!
He always enjoyed family holidays, especially in the caravan with all the kids. One
year he and Jean were in twin beds and during the night she heard an almighty thud.
Howard had fallen out of bed and was wedged in the very narrow gap between them
both, everybody woke and erupted into fits of laughter, too hysterical to help get him
up!
He never liked heights so would rather go on Shearings holidays than fly although
Jean did eventually manage to get him on a plane, and he even braved a ski lift to
the top of the Dolomites but no matter where they went abroad, most people make
sure they pack sun cream, he double checked they had packed brown sauce and
mustard!
Howard particularly liked going to Blackpool with Jean and granddaughter Ellie to
see the lights. They normally stayed for two nights in the Claremont Hotel and at the
beach, Ellie would have a donkey ride, walk for a bit then have another donkey ride,
walk again, then another donkey ride! After Jake was born, Alison would take him
too but as Howard’s COPD worsened, he sadly couldn’t manage it anymore.
Jean also remembers taking him to Blackpool to watch a “Question of Sport” and
although he wasn’t a fan of theatre, he was thrilled when Jean treated him to see
Shirley Bassey on stage in Manchester and Susan Boyle in concert. Tony Curtis
was his icon back in the day as was Doris Day.
He wasn’t a keen gardener, but he did like to keep it tidy with neat lines in the lawn
and he loved to relax with Jean in their favourite sunny spot. He also enjoyed
playing chipping out with dominoes whilst sat in the garden, it was always the first to
win twenty games but he cheated at everything. He confessed to Jean that when
she went to make a drink, he took all the sixes out.
Jean used to say she could never be taken ill between five and six as Howard liked
to watch the Chase on TV; a cheeky chap but he had a life full of fun, laughter and
love and Jean said “we have all lost a wonderful man, he was the best of the best,
he had two puffs of his last fag just before he died but now he has no more pain,
Sleep tight Howard XX”

May he rest in peace.