Stephanie Howell

STEPHANIE DUNHAM HOWELL Devoted mother, wife, grandmother and sister died peacefully and surrounded by her family at the age of 73 on September 7, 2012 after a recurring battle with lymphoma. She was born in 1939 to William Huse Dunham, Sterling Professor of History at Yale University, and Helen Garrison Dunham. Stephanie grew up amongst intellectuals and curiosity seekers that instilled a love of learning that lasted her lifetime. She attended The Foote School in New Haven and graduated in 1961 from Vassar College. While she was living and working in Boston after graduation, Steph’s father suggested she meet one of his former students, Henry Howell of Atlanta, who was also living in Boston at the time. It was love at first sight, and in 1963, she married Henry, her adoring husband of 49 years, with whom she built an active life in Atlanta and raised three children and eight grandchildren. Steph was a founding member of Friends of the River and an active member of numerous organizations, including the Cherokee Garden Club, the Junior League of Atlanta, the Cathedral of St. Philip, and Bridges Across Atlanta. She loved nature and was an enthusiastic gardener, birdwatcher and conservationist. Her creative and artistic talent was evidenced in her beautiful photography, paintings and flower arranging. She is beloved by the scores of people whose lives she unfailingly made happier by her kindness, her grace, and her eternal optimism, present even in the face of repeated cancer treatments. We will always be grateful for the time we had with her and for the example of courage and dignity she set for all of us. She is survived by her husband, Henry L. Howell, and their daughter and son-in-law Helen Howell Wray and Christopher Wray; their daughter and son-in-law Kate Howell Klitenic and Jason Klitenic; their son and daughter-in-law Evan Howell and Kathryn Howell; eight grandchildren between the ages of 1 and 17; and her brother and sister-in-law Lee and Nancy Dunham, of Boston. A memorial service will be held Tuesday, the 11th of September at 10 o’clock a.m. at the Cathedral of St. Philip in Atlanta with the Dean, Samuel G. Candler, presiding. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to The Atlanta History Center, Trees Atlanta, or the charity of one’s choice. Online condolences may be made at hmpattersonspringhill.com