He was always looking to make others laugh

Elia Powers

Howard Minder was a master of situational humor.

One time, when he found a toilet sitting in the alley behind his

house, Minder asked his neighbor to snap a picture of him sitting on

the porcelain seat while reading the newspaper.

On another occasion, while he was painting a fence white, he put a

coat on a nearby plant and convinced the family that a wild tropical

plant was growing in the frontyard.

Minder wore Dracula fangs to the dentist and wasn’t afraid to tell

jokes to large groups.

In his 27-page memoir, called “The H. Minder Saga,” he wrote the

following author’s note: “The word ‘I’ used frequently in this

history is not being used in an egotistical sense, but is due to the

author’s limited vocabulary and inability to use alternative methods

to tell this story.”

“He had a great sense of humor,” said Nancy Lewis, Minder’s

daughter. “Sometimes his jokes would be long-winded, but people would

always laugh.”

A longtime Costa Mesa resident, Minder died June 5. He was 90.

Born in Webster, S.D., he moved to Anaheim at the age of 14.

That’s where he met Laurabelle “Bebe” Minder, his future wife.

A well-liked student at Anaheim High School -- he was student body

president -- Minder also had an adventurer side. To get to the 1933

World’s Fair, he jumped aboard a series of trains on his way to

Chicago.

“He used to tell me he put $2 in his shoe and rode the rails with

a friend,” Bebe Minder said.

With a $150 partial scholarship, he attended the University of

Chicago.

After graduation, he worked briefly at Douglas Aircraft before

joining the U.S. Navy. He was a lieutenant during World War II,

stationed in New York, San Diego and Okinawa.

Bebe and Howard were married in 1943. He proposed by telephone

while stationed in New York.

Minder spent more than 30 years as a real estate appraiser at Bank

of America. And he found a good deal on his home: He bought property

in Costa Mesa in 1947 for about $8,950.

By the time he retired in 1977, Minder had earned the title of

assistant vice president at Bank of America.

He stayed active during retirement, volunteering at Friends In

Service to Humanity, an interfaith poverty-relief organization. St.

Andrew’s Presbyterian Church presented Minder with an award for 50

consecutive years of ushering.

Traveling in the family’s trailer, Minder took relatives on

fishing trips throughout California and Nevada. He even took people

back to South Dakota to see his childhood home.

Family members said Minder enjoyed hosting backyard barbecues with

the fire pit he built himself.

Minder enjoyed nature walks through Costa Mesa. He regularly made

trips to Mariners Library, where he read the newspaper and chatted

with city employees.

“He was very laid-back,” Bebe Minder said. “He never had a problem

unwinding.”

Still, Bebe said her husband didn’t like sitting around the house.

He golfed, bowled and rode his bike all over the city.

During Minder’s final years, his children took him on trips to

Santa Barbara and San Diego on Christmas Day.

“He really enjoyed those,” said Laurel Minder, his daughter. “It

was a good chance for him to be with the family.”