What had been intended as a couple of weeks off for the holidays ended up being more time than intended due to a collection of emergencies. On January 21st, 2026 at 3:45pm Central, my father – Howard Tarnoff passed away. He was surrounded by me, Melissa, and our children – Stella, Sawyer, and Morgan. He is survived by my brother, Matthew, and his children: Niko, Ivy, and Oriole. Additionally, his sister, Valerie survives him.
Howard has a left an indelible mark on this world. Everyone he met was a friend, some became good friends, some great, and others he called best friends. Growing up in Philadelphia, he still spent Eagles games texting his childhood buddies Warren and Mike.
Howard served time in the Air Force. After that he entered the workforce as an engineer in aeronautics. He quit his job the week he and my mother found I was on the way and got a new one in the toy industry. It was here he found meaningful work. He invented numerous toys and games on his own, with family input, and sharing ideas with collaborators.
I grew up in a house of fun. My brother and I were always alpha testers for anything he could come up with. He’d do toy exchanges with colleagues at other companies for the holidays to get us gifts we wanted. Ready, Set, Spaghetti sent me to college as well as being published in dozens of languages and turned into an Italian game show for kids. The Belly Ball made it into Time Magazine. Hours of my youth playing games over and over to work out the bugs. While I’ve grown up and am no longer in the target audience, he found testers in his grandkids as well as similarly aged neighbors. He hosted a game night at his apartment complex with a few 20-something couples.
His charm, snark, and humor won people over all the time. He could get away (in the 90s) with telling Secret Service, “If I tell you, I’ll have to kill you.” regarding a NDA’d prototype he was taking to show a toy company. The company just happened to be holding meetings where President Clinton was staying.
But if you asked my father what his most prized accomplishments are, he would tell you his family. Starting with my mother. He worshiped and loved her twice as hard as you think imaginable. And she loved him the same amount. He was extremely proud of his sons and his grandchildren. Nothing made him happier than a hug from family, but a hand made piece of art was almost as good.
I will be developing a memorial site for Howard and Lynn. Please message me through this site or however we may be connected if you’d like to contribute a memory, well wishes, or photo.
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