July 5, 1924 – Dec. 12, 2012
Mable A. (Toweill) Howard, 88, of rural Sweet Home died Dec. 12, 2012 of Alzheimer’s disease.
She was born July 5, 1924 in Arkansas City, Kan., to Wm. Oliver and Waunita Estelle (Brewer) Toweill.
She was a true child of the Great Depression. She attended school in Woodward, Hennessey, and rural Vici, Okla., and, after moving to Oregon in 1937, in Montgomery, Independence, Peedee, Junction City, and Creswell before graduating from Sweet Home Union High School in 1942.
She went by the name Mable Care in school after her mother was remarried to Boyd Care.
She was employed as a waitress at White’s Cafe in 1942 and she was a linotype operator at The New Era in 1943. She also worked in a bakery in Salem, during the rest of World War II. In 1965 she became bookkeeper at Bird Chevrolet in Lebanon.
After waiting five years for him to come home from the Army, she married Denton W. Howard at the Nazarene Church on June 16, 1946, now the home of East Linn Museum. They had six children, four of whom survived.
During her lifetime, Mrs. Howard was a 4-H leader, Sunday School teacher and treasurer, and was involved in knitting and sewing clubs, Home Extension, Quilt Club, Evangelical Church of Sweet Home, Roving Elks RV Club and Sweet Home Elkettes.
She is survived by her children: Evelyn Newton of Graham, Wash., Larry Howard of Mesa, Ariz., and Kevin Howard of Sweet Home; two brothers, Raymon Care of Spokane, Wash. and Joel Care of Sweet Home; four grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; many nieces, nephews and numerous friends.
A memorial service is planned for 2 p.m. Friday, April 5, 2013, at Sweet Home Evangelical Church.
Sweet Home Funeral Chapel is handling the arrangements.