Yvonne Carol Howard

Yvonne C Howard passed away peacefully at home on Monday, June 27. She is survived by her wife, Lois Mikkila, two children, a stepson, four grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren. Yvonne was born in England in 1944 – a war baby, she always said. She was raised by her adoptive parents, Fred and Betty Howard. At age 21, she came to the USA to visit friends and never left. When she became a US citizen, she was proud that the ceremony took place in 1976 at Faneuil Hall in Boston. Most of her career was spent with the US Department of Health and Human Services. She was tasked with many initiatives, including literacy, welfare reform, workforce development, and repatriation of US citizens from Iraq during the Gulf War. After retiring, she became a Master Gardener and particularly enjoyed working on environmental projects with elementary schools. Yvonne loved her family, her garden, traveling – especially road trips (she travelled cross-country numerous times), baking – her Christmas cookies were legendary, and hosting family and friends. She was generous, always willing to give anything she had to anyone who needed it. She was a fighter for social justice. She was adventurous, celebrating her 60th birthday be trekking in the Himalayas. She lived a full and interesting life – dropping details such as getting a bottle of champagne from Ringo Starr, dancing in a nightclub with Sean Connery, helping to deliver a calf, or volunteering on a political campaign with Ted Bundy (who later became infamous as a serial killer) as if they were ordinary occurrences. Yvonne was able to find her birth mother in 2000. Though her mother died soon after, Yvonne was grateful to develop a relationship with her new-found half-sister. She had no clues as to the identify of her birth father, but that mystery was solved in December 2019 through a DNA match on Ancestry.com. Though he, too, had already passed, she was able to meet his surviving brother and her nieces, nephews, and cousins in Oklahoma just before the pandemic shut things down. Being warmly welcomed into their family was one of the happiest events of her life. She will be missed by all who knew her. A private celebration of her life will be held at a later date. Donations in her memory can be made to World Central Kitchen (wck.org) or READ Nepal (READglobal.org).

Yvonne Carol Howard

June 27, 2022 - June 27, 2022