Randy's Bucket List: 1 Final Sail

It's hard to believe that someone so energetic, funny, and vital will soon be gone from my, from our, lives.  This campaign is for my husband, Randy Howarth.  The thief of life – cancer – is stealing his retirement dreams. Now a simple final sail to the Caribbean is all that stands between him and death. Friends old and new, colleagues, and confidants are joining forces to wish Randy well on this last journey and support his end of life needs.

 Please join us in sending Randy off to check off one last bucket list entry…!

The final bucket list sail will begin mid-May, 2017.   



A native of Massachusetts, Randy has made Erie, PA his home for 18 years.  He has taught thousands of students here, made friends here, sailed here, lived a life of energy and enjoyment here. 

Sadly, that conniving disease – cancer – is cutting his time short.

Randy has always worked hard and played hard – even as a musician in a blues band with his brother!   At 18, he thought a stint in the army was the solution to life's questions.  It turned out not to be the case, so he didn't renew, but he has some great memories of those years and people!

Out of the army, he earned his keep in a picture frame shop, working construction, as a high school teacher, mobile home park maintenance man, supplier to the floral industry, and even as a chimney sweep!  Randy was not afraid of hard work.

And what he envisioned, he made happen.  His philosophy:  "run full-tilt boogie at every door, and somehow it will open". 

Randy wanted to get a college degree, so he went back, as an adult, with very different experiences from most 18-year-olds.  He did so well, he decided to continue to graduate school to earn a doctorate in History.  Mind you, he was accepted with no financial backing and nowhere to live!  So he "ran full-tilt boogie":  he found work and room/board on a farm close by campus; he knocked on academic doors until he found one that could give him a teaching assistantship; and he graduated in 5 years with a PhD in History, faster than anyone else in his incoming History class.

Randy joined Mercyhurst College in 1999, and bought a house in the west Bayfront, settling in and learning to do his own repairs and renovations. 

As a professor, he has engaged thousands of students, and opened their minds to new experiences through travel to New York, Washington, DC, Rome, Greece, London, Paris, and Belize.  He envisioned trips that would offer new experiences and open students' minds to the world beyond campus.  So Randy made those trips happen:  students had the comfort of a familiar group around them, with a bit of stretching outside their comfort zones.  They learned to navigate foreign cities, even when that city was in the USA (NYC, DC)!  They learned to spread their wings:  go zip lining, go trekking through a cave system, climb ancient monuments, appreciate a museum, even make a film.

Through all of this, a love of the water has been constant, taking him back to his New England roots near the ocean.  He learned to scuba dive, and loved it.  He wanted to learn to sail, so he read books, and posted his name everywhere in Cleveland to volunteer as boat crew.  He finally got a spot, got out on the water, and fell in love.

When he met his wife, Cindy, he said the 'make or break' was whether she was comfortable on a sailboat.  She was (who knew a girl from the prairies would like water?!), and they have had almost 12 years of love and laughter together.

Still, that first love kept beckoning:  Randy dreamed of fixing up a cruising sailboat and sailing the seas with Cindy.  They bought a 42' ketch (double-masted) sailboat in 2014, with the plan of retiring in 2018 to start the adventure.

Then, in 2015, came the news – Liver Cancer.  Randy applied for a transplant and did everything he could to be a great candidate, changing his lifestyle, undergoing localized chemotherapy, even having all his teeth pulled. 

The good news:  the growth of the liver tumor was slowed/stopped.  The bad news:  the cancer had spread to his lungs, and the prognosis was 12-18 months.  That was December 2016. 

Since the diagnosis, the "full-tilt boogie" has been updating the sailboat and downsizing to move aboard.  With the new 'deadline', we are planning to set sail in about a month, move through the St. Lawrence, and down the East Coast to Florida.  The goal is a New Year's toast in Cruz Bay, Virgin Islands.   We are hoping Randy makes it that far, and maybe even further.

We have funds for daily living.  Where we could use some help is with dockage costs and end-of-life care.  Every little bit helps, and is greatly appreciated!  

For my own part, Randy has been my love, my best friend, my companion for almost 12 years.  He has gotten me to face my fears, and do things like sailing and zip lining, that I never would have before.  Because of him, I have been able to touch the adventurous side of me that rarely came out.  I will carry that forward with me.  Thank you, my love.

And thank you, family, friends, and strangers, for your time and consideration.  Your kindness and support at this time make our lives brighter and easier.

To stay up to date with Randy, check out his Facebook page, with photos, progress updates, and his memoirs.