Howard Lewis Bayne III, 80, of Beaufort, SC, passed away on August 7th, 2024 surrounded by his loving family. Born on July 27, 1944, in Kansas City, MO, he was the eldest of three sons from the late Howard Lewis Bayne Jr. and the late Bettilou Meyer Bayne of Chatham, NJ. He is survived by his brothers Dwight Bayne (Debbie), 77, of New Paltz, NY and Stuart Bayne (Virginia), 74, of Oak Ridge, TN.
Howie lived a celebrated life full of kids, grandkids, classic cars and fast airplanes.
Howie graduated from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA in 1967 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He played Division III soccer, was a member of the Kappa Alpha Society, and was a member of ROTC. Upon his graduation, he and two other fraternity brothers attempted to bicycle from New York City to San Francisco in the few short months leading up to Officer Candidate School. He made it to Colorado, but ran out of time before he left for OCS in 1967. He entered Pilot Training months later and graduated with Tyrone "Shorty" McAlhaney of Beaufort, SC who begrudgingly introduced him to his niece, Henrietta McAlhaney.
Howard did two tours in Vietnam as a Forward Air Controller (FAC) surveying enemy territory and directing rescue efforts. When he got back stateside, Howard continued his pursuit of flying both in the USAF and as a commercial pilot. Some of the notable airplanes he flew were the 0-2, T-38, U-2, F-4, F-105, F-106, and the F-16. As a pilot he logged nearly 7,000 hours in the cockpit. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the USAF's top commendation in aerial flight. He retired from the 177th New Jersey Air National Guard in 1994, and relocated the family to Beaufort, SC, Rhetta's hometown. Howard founded Milspec Communications Inc. and then later Milspec Medical.
Howie and Rhetta were married for nearly 54 years. They had three children, the late Howard Lewis "SeaJay" Bayne IV (Christy) of Rincon, GA, Matthew James Bayne (Allison) of Mt. Pleasant, SC, and Elizabeth Bayne Musto (Troy) of Philadelphia, PA. He had two grandchildren Stella, 10 yo, (Beth & Troy) and Libby, 2 yo, (Matt & Allison).
Howie loved life. His passion was infectious, and his will to live was extraordinary. He was never one to miss one of his children's sporting events. He was instrumental in various philanthropic efforts including the New Jersey's Air National Guard's support of Jean Webster in Atlantic City, NJ. He was a senior member of the local branch of the Civil Air Patrol in Beaufort, SC. He was a Deacon at Faith United Presbyterian Church of Medford, NJ and then later, an active member of Sea Island Presbyterian Church on Lady's Island, SC. He participated in spinning classes at his local YMCA into his late 70's.
Howard was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma in 1999. Inspired after reading Lance Armstrong's "It's Not About the Bike," Howard sought treatment at MD Anderson in Houston, TX. His cancer largely remained in remission the majority of his later years because of the care and guidance he received there. The family would personally like to thank them for their support, the doctors and nurses at MUSC, and the outpourings from friends and family they have received during this difficult time.
In lieu of flowers or food, please contribute to MD Anderson Cancer Center, P.O. Box 4486, Houston, TX 77210-4486 or gifts.mdanderson.org.
This obituary was taken in part from Legacy Remembers, published August 14, 2024.