Norma May Howe

She was welcomed into the world on March 8, 1926, in Keene, NH, the daughter of Fredrick H. and Mary (Magoon) Smith.

Early on, Norma worked with the former American Optical Company in Keene. However, her love of family and her role as mother, wife and homemaker were forefront in her life. Wanting to be able to see her son during his school days, Norma took a role working in the school lunch program at the Keene Middle School and later Keene High School,

She was dedicated to following her son Ken’s athletic career and was a fixture at all the Keene State College baseball games and was thought of as their most "devoted fan".

Norma enjoyed traveling to Cape Cod and Florida. Around her home, she enjoyed gardening and was an avid reader. Her family, especially her grandsons, were her whole world. She was a great cook and loved making the holiday dinners for her family. She also loved spending time with her friends, shopping and their weekly luncheons on Wednesday with them, and on Friday’s with her niece, Carolyn.

Norma will be greatly missed by many, especially her son Ken Howe and his wife Merri (Blastos) Howe of Keene; her grandchildren Branden Howe and his partner Max Lindstrom of Keene, Dustin Howe and his wife Nicole (Blanchard) Howe of Keene; her niece Carolyn "Carol" Castor of Keene; and a nephew Robert E. Smith of Bellows Falls, VT. She was predeceased by her husband of 59 years, Daniel J. Howe on May 14, 2006, and a brother Stanley Smith,

Family and friends are invited to call on Tuesday, December 30, 2025, from 5:00 to 7:00pm at the Fletcher Funeral Home, 33 Marlboro Street, Keene. A funeral service will be held on Wednesday, December 31st at 9:30am in the Trinity Lutheran Church where Norma was a longtime member, 100 Maple Avenue, Keene. Burial with committal prayers will follow in the Monadnock View Cemetery, Park Avenue, Keene.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Mrs. Howe’s memory to the Monadnock Humane Society, 101 West Swanzey Road, Swanzey, NH 03446; or to the Dartmouth Cancer Center at Kingsbury Pavillion, 580 Court Street, Keene, NH 03431.