Howard Lee Beyer was born in Passaic, NJ and passed away on Dec. 12, 2014 at the age of 61. Howard was the cherished husband of Yvonne and the beloved father of Samuel, Jeremy and Rachel. He resided in Highland Park, NJ with his family for over 25 years. Howard was a deeply spiritual and religious man who served his community in many capacities. He was on the boards of the local yeshivot and Congregation Ohav Emeth.

He had an illustrious career with the State of New Jersey serving the Dept. of Corrections and the Juvenile Justice Commission for 32 years. He held various jobs including Warden of NJ State Prison and then as Assistant Commissioner of the Dept. of Corrections. In 1999, Howard was appointed as the Executive Director of the Juvenile Justice Commission. There he found his passion working with youth in the justice system. As a true child advocate, he helped develop the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative in NJ that instituted reforms state-wide and that also continues to be a model adopted by other states.

Howard was dedicated to his family. He prioritized his children and wife above all else and his greatest success was as a husband and father. Howard was also an idealist and a humanitarian who treated each person equally with respect and care and without any concern for position or status. As a MENSCH, his greatest joy was to help other people. Howard’s charisma lit up every room he entered with his special magnetism. His life and priorities made an indelible impression on all who knew him.

Howard’s love of Israel and Judaism were central in his life and he studied Torah regularly.  Leaving college in 1973 to work at a moshav in Israel, Howard helped pack oranges during the Yom Kippur War. It is most meaningful that donations to ELEM would be made in his memory as he was devoted to help children at-risk and Israel.