Emily H. Stowell

Emily Huntington Stowell passed away quietly at her assisted living home in El Cajon,

California Friday, November 25. She was born in 1916 in Walla Walla, Washington, where she grew up and attended Whitman College before transferring to and graduating from the University of Washington, Seattle with majors in creative writing and journalism.

A lifelong, committed member of the Congregational/United Church of Christ, it was in Pilgrim Club that she met and in 1939 married husband Ernest Stowell, a professor of languages who preceded her in death in 1980. She cherished family and friends and is survived by son, Christopher (Kit) Stowell, wife Trixie, grandchildren Lauri(Mike) Reddig and Aurora Baxter, and great grandchildren Griffin, Willow and Zimri all from the Vancouver, Washington area daughter Rinda Young, husband Ron and their three children, Rebeca (Chris) Armour, Rachel (Matt) Rhea, and great grand children Emily, Karly, Mason, Spencer, Jacob, Luke and Trevor all of La Mesa, California and grandson Ryan currently living and teaching English in Japan.

A lifelong educator, Emily taught college Spanish and English and in 1962 together with husband Ernest co-founded Amity Institute, a foreign language exchange program which in 1966 moved with them from Wisconsin to Del Mar, California where she resided until 2007. After retiring as Director of Amity in 1975, Emily discovered UCSD’s Friends of the International Center where she continued her dedication to furthering international understanding serving as an active volunteer until 2007 when she moved from her Del Mar home to El Cajon. In 2000 she received a U.S. State Department Millenniums International Volunteer award. Following years of research she also fulfilled a long-held dream to write an historical novel, American Nomads, based on family genealogy.

A celebration of life well and fully lived is planned for Friday, December 30, at 3:00 PM at the United Church of Christ, 5940 Kelton Avenue, La Mesa, California. Gifts may be made in Emily’s memory to Amity Institute.