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Jan. 29, 1922 — Aug. 3, 2020

Virginia Rita (Rowe) Howard, 98, passed away Monday, Aug. 3, 2020, in Chicago, sister of Jean Rowe, of Dowagiac, and aunt of Shirley Chennault, also of Dowagiac.

Mrs. Howard was the daughter of the late Chester and Mable (Daly) Rowe. Her father grew up in Decatur, so she spent delightful summers here during her youth. Many summer weeks were later spent at Ackley’s Resort at Lake of the Woods with her husband and children.

Mrs. Howard was the wife of the late Joseph Leroy Howard; mother of Timothy (Monica) Howard, Kathleen Howard and Kevin (Joy Chen) Howard; grandmother of Timothy (Kristine) Howard, Kelly Poders and Joseph Howard; great-grandmother of Rebecca, Allison and Nicole Howard and Amanda and Steven Poders; and aunt to many nieces and nephews.

Mrs. Howard was born in Chicago on Jan. 29, 1922, she graduated from Wells High School in 1939 and married Joseph Howard at St. Columbkille Catholic Church in Chicago on Sept. 30, 1950. Besides being a homemaker, she held many jobs, including working at Montgomery Ward during WWII and the longest being at First National Bank.  Mrs. Howard loved traveling, reaching as far as Ireland and Norway and thoroughly enjoyed day/weekend trips.

Besides her parents and her husband, she is preceded in death by her siblings, Shirley (Rowe) Barragan, Russell Rowe and Patricia Rowe.

Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Malec & Sons Funeral Home in Chicago. Burial will be at Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Hillside, Illinois.  Due to the coronavirus pandemic, there will be no services.