Howard Paul Morton, 73, of Vernon, passed away on December 13, 2016. Howard was born on April 21, 1943, a son of the late Howard L. and Edna (Ballard) Morton. Howard was the beloved husband of Gail (Cyr) Morton for 7 years, together for 15 years. He proudly served in the United States Army. He also served as a Connecticut State Trooper, and as a reporter for local television stations. Howard was employed by the Haymond Law firm as a legal investigator. In addition to his loving wife, Gail, he will be dearly missed by his daughters; Stephanie Carroll of Meriden and Bethany Carroll of Alapaha, GA.., son Michael Carroll Jr. of Manchester, grandsons Scott Lopez Jr. & Landen Lopez, brother Richard Gordon and his wife Janet of Norridgewock, ME., mother-in-law Theresa Cyr of East Hartford, and sister-in-law Lisa Roche of New Britain. In lieu of flowers, donations in Howard's memory can be made to: Hartford's Camp Courant, 285 Broad St., Hartford CT 06115, or Connecticut Humane Society, 701 Russell Rd., Newington, CT 06111, www.cthumane.org Family and friends are invited to attend a period of visitation on Sunday, December 18, from 3-6pm at Benjamin J. Callahan Funeral Home, 318 Burnside Ave., East Hartford CT 06108. Everyone is welcome to gather at 10am on Monday December 19, followed with a Celebration of Life service at 11am, all to occur at the funeral home. Burial is private and at the convenience of the family. To view his video tribute and to leave online condolences, please visit www.callahanfuneral.com.