Jerry Dalphus Howe passed away peacefully on May 12, 2026, at the age of 83, surrounded by family after a long life shaped by hard work, service, and deep devotion to the people around him. He passed due to complications related to advanced age and dementia/Alzheimer’s.
Born on May 1, 1943, in Aransas Pass, Jerry was raised by Eveline Hall Hixenbaugh and Milan Purvis. Long before he became known as a successful businessman, he was known as someone who simply kept moving forward. Friends and family often described him as driven, curious, and unwilling to sit still for very long.
In 1961, Jerry joined the United States Navy and served aboard the USS Midway. His military service remained one of the great points of pride throughout his life. Years later, he became fascinated with discovering more about his paternal roots through DNA research, eventually connecting with the Purvis family line in Georgia. Even though those family connections came later in life, he embraced them wholeheartedly and enjoyed learning about the relatives and history he had never known before.
Not long after leaving the Navy, Jerry married Sylvia Gayle Bruerton on May 2, 1964. Together they built a marriage that lasted more than sixty years and raised six children along the way. Their early years were spent chasing opportunities and building a future from the ground up.
After working at Bay Alarm in California, Jerry and Gayle moved to Salt Lake City in 1969 with little more than determination and belief in what they could create together. That decision changed the course of their lives. Jerry founded Peak Alarm Company, Inc., growing it from a local startup into one of the largest multi-regional security companies in the United States.
Over the years, Peak Alarm expanded across Utah, Idaho, and Colorado, employing hundreds of people and serving thousands of families and businesses. Jerry took enormous pride not only in the company’s success, but also in the people who worked beside him. In 2023, his decades of dedication to the industry were recognized with the National Dealer of the Year award, an honor that reflected the reputation he had built over a lifetime of work.
Outside of business, Jerry lived with the same energy and curiosity that shaped his career. He loved classic cars and spent years building and caring for his show car collection. He enjoyed loyal dogs, time outdoors, and projects that kept his hands busy. One of the things closest to his heart was the Blue Spruce tree farm he established in the Heber Valley and Charleston areas. Watching those trees grow over the years brought him genuine happiness and became part of the lasting mark he left behind.
Jerry was also active in the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and spent many years working with young men as a Scout Leader. Service to others mattered deeply to him, whether through business, church, mentoring, or everyday acts of generosity that often went unnoticed.
He was preceded in death by his son Tim Howe, his brother Russ Hixenbaugh, and his brother Chuck Purvis of Florida.
Jerry is survived by his wife, Sylvia Gayle Howe; his mother, Eveline Hall Hixenbaugh; his brothers Wayne Hixenbaugh, Ray Hixenbaugh, and John Davis of Austin, Texas; his children Rick Howe, Julie (Don) Weakley, Jeff (Roxana) Howe, Tyler Howe, and Renae (Brenan) Douglas; along with many grandchildren, extended relatives, and friends who remained an important part of his life.
Private funeral services will be held by the family.
In place of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Jerry’s memory to Alzheimer’s-related charities.
Jerry Dalphus Howe leaves behind more than a successful business. He leaves behind a life built through persistence, faith, family, and vision. Whether remembered through the company he created, the trees he planted in the Utah soil, or the generations of family he helped guide, his presence continues in the lives he shaped over more than eight decades.
