Virginia Howells

Virginia Howells – beloved daughter, sister, wife, aunt, mother, grandmother, educator, artist, and friend – passed away peacefully on April 27, 2022, at the age of 91.

Virginia was born and raised in the Birmingham, Alabama, area, and also spent time living in Atlanta, Georgia, and Atlantic Beach, Florida. She graduated from the University of Alabama, where she was an active member of the Phi Mu sorority. She worked as both an art teacher and English teacher over the years in Atlanta and the Jacksonville, Florida, area. In her retirement, Virginia continued to pursue her passion for art and crafting, creating everything from watercolor portraits and vibrant knitted blankets to découpaged boxes and hand-sewn Christmas decorations.

One of her most memorable creations was a cross stitched set of “Kitchen Rules” that hung in several of her homes and instructed anyone other than the cook to “stay out of the damn kitchen.” Virginia was a talented home cook and baker and even had some recipes featured in local church cookbooks. She made the best mashed potatoes and potato salad, the best “fall apart meat,” the best stuffed squash, and the best holiday cookies (the secret is almond extract).

Virginia had a deep-rooted appreciation for the world’s natural beauty and was an avid gardener and garden club officer for many years. The backyards and porches of her homes in Florida were magical landscapes blooming with purple and blue hydrangeas, elephant ears, bougainvillea, dusty miller, impatiens, and more. Her fondness for nature extended to the coast where Virginia spent countless hours walking alongside the ocean, sculpting fantastical sand castles with her granddaughter, and combing the dunes and shore for sand dollars, shark teeth, angel wings, and scallop, olive, and slipper shells. Virginia was also an animal lover who, at various points in her life, lived alongside beagles, a slightly grouchy cat, a bird, and cows. She was most passionate about elephants, however, and had a particularly soft spot for baby elephants.

Virginia will always be remembered for being an incredibly caring and fiercely supportive mother and grandmother. If nothing else, this is the legacy she leaves behind and the mark she has left on the earth – and undoubtedly what she is most proud of. She will never be forgotten. She was here, and she made the world a better place while in it.

Virginia is survived by daughter, Mary New; granddaughter, Savanna New; nieces, Laura Johnston, Lynn Klinner, Margaret Turner; nephew, Steve Gathings; and sister-in-law, Margie Duncan.

A private burial open to family only will take place Sunday May 15, 2022 at 11:00 am at Elmwood Cemetery.

If you knew Virginia or are moved by what you’ve read about her life, you are encouraged to make a donation in her memory to one of the following organizations: Asian Elephant Support, the Jacksonville Humane Society, or your local PBS station.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.ridoutsvalleychapel.com for the Howells family.