Florence (Smyth) Howell

Florence Howell, 87, of Newton died on Tuesday, January 9, 2018 at the Iowa Veteran’s Home in Marshalltown.  A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Monday, January 15, 2018, at the Wallace Family Funeral Home and Crematory.  The family will greet friends from 10:00 a.m. until the time of service at the funeral home.  Memorials to the Iowa Veteran’s Home in Marshalltown or to Florence’s family may be left at the funeral home.

Florence, the daughter of William and Maria (Magee) Smyth, was born on February 20, 1930 in Belfast, Ireland.  She lived in Ireland until the age of 17 when the family relocated to Newton, Iowa.  Florence was united in marriage with Richard Howell on July 3, 1953 in Newton. She worked as a file clerk at Newton Manufacturing, retiring in 1989.  Florence was a member of the 25th Anniversary Club at Newton Manufacturing.  She enjoyed crocheting, going to the casino, and traveling to North Dakota to visit her grandchildren.  She and Richard also liked buying and selling Depression glass and antiques.  Florence also was known to never miss Murder She Wrote, Perry Mason, and Wheel of Fortune.

Florence is survived by her children, William (Jean) Howell of Des Moines, Scott Howell of Newton, and Kimberly (Kirk) Albright of Fargo, North Dakota; grandchildren, Amanda (Daniel) Mendoza, Jordan Albright, Justin (Kathleen) Albright, and Jennie Albright; step-grandchildren, Alex (Tiffany) Smith and James Smith; great-granddaughter, Mayarah Mendoza; step-great-grandson, Gary Smith; and her nieces, Mariea (Ben) Bucklin and Kathy (Calvin) Winn.  She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Richard Howell; a daughter in infancy, Rodonna Eileen Howell; and a sister, Elizabeth Kalma.

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