Lettie Geraldine Howell

Lettie Geraldine Howell May 1, 1922 September 21, 2011 Lettie Geraldine Howell passed away at Lake Shore Healthcare Center on Wednesday, September 21, 2011. Services will be 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, September 27, at Austin Avenue United Methodist Church with the Rev. Chris Mesa officiating. Burial will follow at Highland Cemetery in Anna, TX. Visitation will be from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., Monday, September 26, at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Garden Room. Lettie Howell, 89, was born in Pineville, Louisiana, on May 1, 1922, to Robert Jackson and Louisa Ellizabeth Leckie Willbanks. She grew up in West Monroe, Louisiana and graduated from Ouachita Parish High School in 1939. After graduating as a registered nurse from Shreveport Charity Hospital, she joined the U. S. Navy during World War II. She served as a Navy nurse at Naval stations at Portsmouth, VA, Farragut, ID and Port Hueneme, CA. After the war, she became a nurse at the V.A. Hospital, McKinney, Texas. There she met her husband, Chester Howell, and they were married on May 15, 1948. From McKinney, they moved to Fayetteville, Arkansas, where Chester was appointed Finance Officer of the V.A. Hospital. After three years, his next assignment was to the V.A. Hospital, Topeka, KS, where they would live for eighteen years. Chester's last assignment was at the V.A. Hospital in Waco. Their three children were born in different states, Texas, Arkansas and Kansas. Lettie served as president of the organizations for wives of hospital staff members in both Fayetteville and Topeka. ln Topeka, she became a Girl Scout leader, serving from the time her daughters were Brownie Scouts until they graduated from high school. Also, in Topeka, she became very active in their church, the First Methodist Church, serving on the Administrative Board, Chairman of the Council on Ministries, President of the Women's Missionary Union, sponsor of the youth group, and as a first grade Sunday school teacher with her husband. After moving to Waco, Lettie became active in a number of organizations, especially those involved in beautification in the community. At their church, Austin Avenue United Methodist Church, she served several terms as president of the Mary Milam Garden Club. She created the Mary Milam Memorial Rose Garden at the church. This project is one of several that Lettie spearheaded. A previous project was to plant native Texas flowers and roses on the grounds of the Gov. Blll Daniel Historic Village at Baylor University. Another project was the landscaping of the grounds and planting roses at the main library of the Waco-McLennan County Library. Lettie envisioned, and sponsored a junior garden club at Lake Waco Elementary School. The students planted flowers, vegetables, several trees, a holly hedge, Lady Banks roses and a wlldflower garden. At an Arbor Day celebration, a tree was planted at the La Vega Primary School. A Desert Willow tree, now very large, was planted near the rear entrance to the library. At the Partners in Education banquet at the Waco Convention Center during the 19911992 school year, Lettie was presented a plaque honoring her as Outstanding Volunteer of the Year at the Lake Waco Elementary School. Lettie was organizing president of the Waco Rose Society in 1987, and served as president three times. A big project of the Rose Society, completed in the spring of 2000, was the creation of the Rose Garden at the historic Earle-Harrison House and Gardens. Lettie has served as president of the Garden Forum Garden Club as well as the Waco Council of Garden Clubs. Because of these many projects by which Lettie added much beauty to Waco she received the Pathfinder Award for Civil Leadership at the YMCA Pathfinder Awards Celebration on November 15, 1993, having been sponsored by her good friend, Frances Mrs. Lyndon Olson, Sr. Lettie had been active in the Historic Waco Foundation and served as house chairman for the Earle-Napier-Kinard House. Another interest of Lettie's has been genealogy and hereditary organizations. She has served as Regent of Henry Downs Chapter, D.A.R. and president of Peter Folger Chapter, Colonial Dames, XVII Century. Lettle organized the Waco Writer's Guild at the request of the teacher of a continuing education course she took at M.C.C. Lettie was preceded in death by six sisters, one brother and cherished grandson, Colin Schafer. She is survived by her husband of 63 years, Chester Howell, daughters, Katherine Machol and husband, John of Galveston, Dr. Susan Schafer of Waco and son, John Howell and wife, Rosa of Richardson; brother, Rev. R. C. Willbanks of Muncie, IN; four grandchildren, Dylan Schafer and wife, Lauren, Liz Mayerich and husband, Dave, Tom Machol and Marinne Howell; three great-grandchildren, Jake, Elyson and Will Schafer; and many nieces and nephews. The family wishes to express their appreciation to the staff at Lake Shore Village for the excellent care given to their loved one. In lieu of flowers, it is requested that memorials be made to Alzheimer's Assn. or the Austin Avenue United Methodist Church. The family invites you to leave a message or memory in our "Memorial Guestbook" at www.WilkirsonHatchBailey.com. Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey