Katherine (Kathy) Marie Howell
Katherine (Kathy) Marie Howell, born Dec. 5, 1950, passed away, on Wednesday, April 8, 2020.
Kathy, along with her younger sisters, Nancy Stewart, Donna Parker, Shirley Stephens and Brenda Bales, grew up in rural Breckenridge, where she met and married her first and only love, Robert Howell. Bob is the older brother of Kathy’s life-long best friend, Billie Rae (Howell) Hunsaker, who helped introduce them while Kathy was still in high school (1964). They dated while Bob was in the Navy and finally married on June 28, 1968. A multitude of adventures since, Kathy and Bob's love truly stood the test of time; nearly 52 years of marriage, strong!
Kathy’s compassion and generosity knew no bounds. She approached everyone with open arms and with zero judgment. The most important thing to her was her family and she never failed to tell them how much she loved each, and every one of them, "a bushel and a peck, and a hug around the neck."
Kathy loved flowers and gardening and had a passion for reading, sewing, and spur-of-the-moment weekend road trips with her daughters, laughing “till it hurt,” and finding joy in simple pleasures. She loved volunteering her time at church, in the community and with the Youth for Christ Club, and would help anyone who asked at a moments notice.
Kathy was a faithful and loving daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandma, great-grandma, and friend. Her presence will be sorely missed, but we can rest assured that we will be reunited in Heaven one day.
She is preceded in death by her mother, Viola Marie Stephens and father, Eddie B. Stephens, both of Lawson.
Kathy is survived by her husband, Robert Lee; daughters, Christine Marie and Sherri Lee; grandchildren, Meagan Katherine Rosales, Hannah Jordan Dennis, Micah Jason Dennis, and Bryan Leonardo Rosales; great-grandchildren, Violet Zulma Rosales and Julian Leonardo Rosales; and a multitude of “adopted” children, who knew her best as “Momma Kathy,” from her contributed years of service with the Kansas City Youth for Christ Club in Excelsior Springs (1983-1989).
Due to the CDC limited gathering/social distancing restrictions, the family is unable to have a traditional service or visitation. In lieu of flowers, the family would welcome donations towards a memorial bench to be placed in remembrance of Kathy at Trosper Cemetery in Daviess County, next to family gravesites. Donations can be made in Kathy's name directly to Hidden Valley Funeral Home (Kearney Location), 925 E. State Route 92, Kearney, MO 64060, (816) 903-8888.
In this unsettling and confusing time, Kathy's family would like to extend a message of hope, in her honor: Jonathan Lockwood Huie, known as "The Philosopher of Happiness," said that "you don't have the power to make life "fair," but you do have the power to make life joyful." How, you might ask, is that possible, when life throws out a hailstorm of curve balls? Follow the directives of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who said, "If you can't fly, then run. If you can't run, then walk. If you can't walk, then crawl. But whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward." Regardless of how difficult things may be, count your blessings, remain hopeful... "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning." (Psalm 30:5)
