E. Elizabeth "Lib" Howell

HOWELL, E. Elizabeth – On Sunday, October 7, 2012, “Lib” Howell (93) died peacefully in Glasgow Hall, Parkland-at-the-Lakes, Dartmouth. Predeceased by her husband, Dr. Denis R.S. Howell, daughter Mary Lee, and son Peter. Surviving are twin sons Bill (Alexe) and Bob (Dawn); granddaughters Emily (Mikael), Allison (Sean), Kathleen, Andrea (Brendan), and Denise (Shaun); and great-grandchildren Aidan, Sean, Elizabeth, Katherine, Oliver and Elliot. Enid Elizabeth Rising was born on December 21, 1918 in Saint John, New Brunswick. She entered Mount Allison University at seventeen, and later got a degree in dietetics from the University of Guelph as war broke out. The RCAF put her in charge of feeding the airmen at the British Commonwealth Air Training School at Debert. On leave in Saint John, Lib met Denis, a Royal Navy medical officer. Their ensuing letters chased each other across the globe for the next four years. Re-posted to Halifax, then Bermuda, she became one of the few women in the Canadian Armed Forces to serve overseas. Denis joined Combined Ops in the Far East, while Lib transferred to East Hampstead, London. When Denis was shipped back to England with malaria, she was there to meet him. They married September 4, 1944, in Scotland. The twins were born in Liverpool in 1946. Later that year the Howells landed in Canada. They finally arrived in Halifax in 1949. If Lib was very much the intrepid wartime sustainer, in peace her fierce sense of duty was unremitting. The challenges of raising twins, combined with the tragedy of a daughter’s crib death and the trials of nurturing a mentally handicapped son, could well have been the recipe for full-fledged angst. But her compassion and sweetness cut through everything. An avid gardener, she was an active participant in the St. Paul’s Anglican Church community. At the end of an incredibly busy and generous life, Lib really struggled. For years, thanks to Alzheimer’s, her family were in mourning for the person they knew because she could no longer know them. Now, released from any and all concerns, she leaves us with nothing but the sweetest of memories. Visitation is 7-9 p.m. on Thursday, October 18, in Christ Church Hall, 61 Dundas Street, Dartmouth. The funeral will be held at Christ Church, 50 Wentworth Street, at noon on Friday, October 19. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Halifax Association for Community Living would be appreciated: 902-463-1767. To place an online condolence message or to view service details, please visit www.jasnowfuneralhome.com.