HOWIE, Alice Aileene (SKINNER)

SKINNER, HOWIE, HARBOLD, MCCURDY, HUTCHINSON, JOHNSON MOODY, SAVILLE, TAYLOR

Posted By: Sharon R Becker (email)
Date: 3/16/2018 at 15:12:50

Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, March 07, 2018

OBITUARY ~ ALICE AILEENE (SKINNER) HOWIE
March 03, 1935 ~ March 03, 2018

Alice Aileene Howie was born on March 3, 1935 to Merrill Donald and Ruth Agnes (Harbold) Skinner in Mills County, Iowa. She was the youngest of three children. She passed away on March 3, 2018 at the Monroe Care Center surrounded by family and loving staff.

Alice graduated from Redding High School where she was a cheerleader and her future husband, Lowell, was a basketball player. She married Lowell Duane Howie on January 25, 1955 and to this union one child was born, Cindy (Howie) Johnson. The family resided in Redding and enjoyed the small community of family and friends. They were members of the Redding United Methodist Church.

In 1971, Lowell, Alice and Cindy moved to Mount Ayr where Alice started working as a nurse’s aide for Clearview Nursing Home and continued for over 30 years. She worked weekends even after “retirement” because she enjoyed the residents and fellow employees. Alice’s work ethic was exceptional…no matter the weather or her aches and pains you could count on her being at work. Almost every day we can remember, she went in to work over an hour early to read patient notes and be ready for the day.

After Lowell passed away in 2007, Alice moved to Ankeny, Iowa to be close to her family where she lived for five years. After declining health prevented her from living alone, she moved to Monroe Care Center in Albia, Iowa.

Two of Alice’s most precious gifts in life were her two granddaughters, Amanda (McCurdy) and Alana (Hutchinson). She loved cooking for them, playing cards and generally spoiling them anytime she had the opportunity. She loved spending family time with Cindy, Scott, Amanda and Alana, as well as extended family and friends. All of Lowell’s siblings and spouses were very special to her and she loved visits around the kitchen table, having a cup of coffee. Some of our favorite memories include her beef and noodles, sweet tea, chocolate pudding and her famous “ugly (lemon) cake”, as well as hours and hours of playing canasta.

Later in life, her precious gifts included three great grandchildren, Cavan and Maeve (McCurdy) and Jack (Hutchinson) and they all called her “GG”. When in the nursing home, Alice loved her visits from her great grandchildren. She especially enjoyed giving Baby Jack rides on her lap up and down the halls in her wheelchair. His visits were so frequent that at just over one year old, he could walk down the long hall and pick the right room where “GG” resided.

Left to cherish her memory are her daughter, Cindy (Scott) Johnson of Ankeny, Iowa; grandchildren Amanda (Kasey) McCurdy of Superior, Colorado and Alana (Jess) Hutchinson of Lovilia, Iowa; great-grandchildren, Cavan and Maeve McCurdy and Jack Hutchinson; brother Donald Skinner of Arizona; sisters-in-law Jean Howie of Mount Ayr and Delores (Jim) Moody of Port Angeles, Washington; brother-in-law LeRoy Howie of East McKeesport, Pennsylvania; numerous nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

Alice was preceded in death by her parents; husband of 52 years, Lowell, her sister, Colleene Saville; sisters-in-law Aleine Taylor and Joanne Howie; brothers-in-law Virgil Howie, Sam Taylor and Algie Saville; her niece Vickie Saville; and nephews James Howie, Terry Howie and Lanny Howie. A memorial fund has been established for the Redding Cemetery.

Services were held at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, March 7, 2018 at Armstrong Funeral Home in Mount Ayr, Iowa. Officiating was Pastor Bill Armstrong. Obituary and memories were read by Mandy McCurdy and Alana Hutchinson. Special songs were “The Old Rugged Cross” and “I Will Rise”

Casketbearers were Kasey McCurdy, Jess Hutchinson, Randy Taylor, Nick Taylor, Cavan McCurdy and Ken Robertson.

Alice was laid to rest at the Redding Cemetery in Redding, Iowa.

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, March of 2018

Ringgold Obituaries maintained by Tony Mercer.
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