The Howard family of Mowachaht/Muchalaht is one of those large, loving families of 15 children, according to Bill Howard, born to Ambrose and Helen Howard.
Helen’s roots came from Hesquiaht with the Jones family.
Their lives changed on July 6, 1979 when two of the young Howard sisters were murdered by the same man. Sisters Christina and Helena Howard did what they thought was safe, hitch-hiking in pairs out of what seemed to be a safe, familiar place. But the pretty, young sisters didn’t stand a chance once they were taken from Gold River by someone intent on harming them.
Elder brother Bill Howard says it’s still hard to think about his sisters, even though 36 years have passed since that terrible day. Christina, the young mother of a little boy, was just 26; she was hiking with her little sister, Helena, who was only 16.
The girls were found quickly and their killer was caught and the family endured the painful trial. What they heard at the trial made at least some of the siblings push the memories of their sisters to the backs of their minds, because, said Bill, it was just too painful to think about.
All these years later, sister Sandra says the memories of her late sisters still brings her to tears.
“It was really hard to think about what happened to them and I just put it out of my mind,” said Bill, adding that the family has just started to talk to one another about their sisters.
Bill says his sisters were both well-loved and sociable. “They both really got along with everyone and they liked to visit people when they were home,” Bill remembered, adding his sister Chris would go door-to-door to visit people when she was at home.
“Helena was our youngest sister, and to me, she was our little princess,” said Bill adding that she had a heart of gold and was just so nice to be around. “She had a good sense of humour and was always goofing around and making us laugh.
Christina’s now grown son attended the Missing Murdered Indigenous Women’s gathering in Prince George earlier this year, in his mother’s honour. According to Bill, this event helped the family begin a healing process.
He hopes that the family will get together sometime to do a ceremony that would honour his sisters and let them go.
