The family of Dr. Howard George Ling announces his passing with peace and grace on July 13, 2016 after a brave and optimistic battle with cancer.
A native of Fayetteville, NC, Howard was the eldest of four sons of Lt Col Pete Ling (deceased) and Colleen Milligan. His brothers are Chris of Fayetteville NC, Andrew of Winston-Salem NC, and Daniel (wife Lia Kalom and children Annika and Per) of Wilmington, NC.
Married to Dr. Marilu E. Santos, Professor of Microbiology at the University of North Carolina Pembroke for 12 years, Howard and Marilu have travelled the world together from Asia to Europe and the Mediterranean. They loved sailing the Carolina waters and driving the countryside in his 30 year-old MGB.
Howard treasured family time with his stepchildren Jan Lee, Paolo, Angelin (with fiancée Austin Hobbs,) and Angelie (with husband Andrew Twaro and son Colin) in their home in The Oaks, Lumberton NC. Howard and Marilu are parish members of the Basilica Shrine of St. Mary Catholic Church in Wilmington, NC.
Dr. Ling earned his PhD degree from Old Dominion University. He spent 16 years as Professor of Marketing and International Business and served as MBA Director and Chair of the Department of Marketing, Management, and International Business at UNCP. Howard served as Commodore of the Wrightsville Beach Ocean Racing Association and earned a sea captain’s license and a scuba diving certification.
Perhaps Howard’s greatest gift was being able to make anyone feel special. A lover of music and the arts, Howard was always interested in sharing ideas and hearing about the experiences of others. We will all miss him.
A funeral service will be held on Saturday, July 16, 2016 at 1:00 PM Floyd Memorial Chapel at 809 East 5th Street, Lumberton, NC 28358 with Rev. Joe Bounds officiating. A time for visitation will follow the service on Saturday.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are encouraged to be made to St. Jude Children’s Cancer Clinic, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or donors@stjude.org