F. Howard Taggart, husband of Jan (Pickard) Taggart, of Ocean Avenue, died Saturday, Dec. 16, at Salem Hospital.
Born in Lawrence on July 6, 1934, he was the son of the late F. Howard Taggart Sr. and Ida Foss Taggart. He was raised in Concord, New Hampshire, where he attended Concord public schools, followed by Bowdoin College where he majored in history and was a member of Chi Psi Fraternity. Howard received his medical degree from Boston University School of Medicine and did a residency in anesthesia at Mass General Hospital. He served as captain in the Army Reserve following his residency. Howard enjoyed a long and successful career as an anesthesiologist at Union Hospital, Salem Hospital, and later, Southern New Hampshire Medical Center. He was proud of the fact that he only missed one day of work throughout his 40-year career.
In 1975, when Howard was chief of anesthesia at Salem Hospital, he serendipitously met and shared a conversation about cats with a nurse named Jan. They would eventually elope to Naples, Italy, and go on to share 45 wonderful years together.
Howard treasured his home “the Block House” on Marblehead Neck. There, he enjoyed collecting antiques and Marblehead memorabilia, and investing. His faithful early morning jogs on the Neck became walks in his later years and he always finished with a jaunt through the bird sanctuary. An avid reader, he particularly enjoyed historical and military nonfiction, and up until the time of his death, he had an impressive ability to recall names, facts and dates of important historical events. He was a creature of habit and when he found something great it became a routine, such as his yearly vacations in St. Barth with his family, Maddie’s on Wednesday evenings and vanilla ice cream with hot fudge sauce. A member of the Eastern Yacht Club since 1973, he was happiest surrounded by his children and their families on the porch, while sipping a toasted almond.
In addition to his wife, Jan, Howard proudly leaves behind four children: Blake Taggart, his wife Mona, and their three children, Allison, Lindsay and James of Midlothian, Virginia; Adam Taggart, his wife Ashley and their two daughters, Merritt and Charlotte of Sebastopol, California; Ian Taggart, his wife Maryann and their three sons, Clark, Scott and Blake of Janesville, Wisconsin; and Jessica Gerard, her husband Marc and their two children, Maelle and Lucca of Bogota, Colombia. He is also survived by his sister Susan Pringle and her husband Jon of Essex, Vermont; nephew Greg Pringle; and nieces Wendee Pringle-Corcoran, Amy Buinicky and Ali Leleszi.
The family is planning a proper sendoff in the summer. Donations in Howard’s name can be made to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. For more information, or online guestbook, please visit MurphyFuneralHome.com or call 978-744-0497.
I am shocked and saddened to read about the death of my dear friend Howard. For decades, I would see him jogging, and later walking around Marblehead Neck, where I would slow down to make a funny comment which would bring a smile to his face. I loved to witness the closeness of Howard and Jan…one of my favorite couples. They lived their lives with dignity, grace, family and friends, of which I was privileged to be one. I want Jan to know that I care, Howard was quite a guy!!