Jewel B Howard was born in Alvaton, Kentucky on September 27, 1928 and died at Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital on April 18, 2024 with family by her side. She was 95. Jewel was an only child, born to (Sammy) Denver Henson and Govin Annie (Sumner) Henson.
Jewel spent her early years working alongside her parents in the fields of Kentucky and Tennessee. She went to Andrew Jackson Elementary School in Old Hickory, Tennessee. The family attended a Baptist church where Jewel accepted Christ as her Savior and Lord, and was baptized by Pastor Harold Ford, in a river at the age of 12. The family then moved to Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, where her father got a job in construction; she and her mom found work in a local restaurant to help support the family.
In 1943, at the age of 15, construction work on the smokestacks at Hanford led the family to Washington State, where her dad later worked on Grand Coulee and John Day Dams, and the building of Kennewick High School. Jewel graduated from Kennewick High School with honors, in 1947. It is also where she met Jean Lanson Howard, who she married on June 27th, 1947 in Kennewick--a marriage that lasted over 62 years.
Together, Jewel and Jean set their eyes on the future, and moved to Pullman, WA., where he attended the WSC School of Pharmacy, and she worked as a secretary in the Dean’s office of the Washington State Institute of Technology. Upon Jean’s graduation in 1955, they moved back to Kennewick where Jean worked as a pharmacist two years, before coming to Selah in 1959 and buying the Selah Clinic Pharmacy. Then, in 1969, Jewel and Jean had the opportunity to move their business to Viking Village in Selah, and Howard’s Drug and Medical Supply was born. Jean was the pharmacist, and Jewel was the buyer/manager. Their staff and customers became their friends, and family service became their mantra. Daily, at 5:00 p.m., Jewel delivered prescriptions to their customers—along with a loaf of bread or milk if they were out.
Jewel and Jean became active members in the community and supported several sports teams and bowling leagues. She loved to bowl and ice- skate, and she played in more than one Women’s Horseshoe tournament—trying to keep up with Jean (who placed 33rd in the World’s Horseshoe Tournament Top A Class in the 1970’s). Jewel and Jean retired in 1996 after 37 years in Selah, but Howard’s Drug and Medical Supply continues to grow and thrive.
Jewel’s retirement years were filled with memories made with her beloved daughters, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She is survived by her daughters Pamela Jean Ansingh (Peter) of Yakima; Dana Jo Whitman (Ronnie) of Yakima; grandchildren Christine Antles of Seattle; Megan Antles-Faulk (Mike) of Olympia; Jordan Ansingh of Yakima; Jason Berg of Royal City; Ashley Schut (Brett) of Maricopa, AZ; Amber Doura of Ramah, CO; Justin Wilburn (Shay) of Kennewick; and Cassie Mattox of Yakima. Jewel is also survived by great-grandchildren Jewel and Ellis; Karson, Brylin, and Kinsley; Naomi, Maddie, and Mayzie; and Lillian and Luna.
Jewel is preceded in death by her husband, Jean Lanson Howard, and her companion in later years, Jerry Decker; also, her granddaughter at birth, Samantha Wilburn, Yakima, WA.
We will miss our beloved Jewel—such a perfect name for a woman of warmth, grace, and beauty. She was a friend to everyone she met and people knew her name—wherever she went. We are comforted in knowing that she is at home now with the Lord, in the place that He created especially for her. The joy that she is now able to express—we can only imagine.
The family would like to extend our deepest thanks and appreciation to Jaimee Castro and Jamie Williams, in-home night caregivers who supported mom in her last year-and-a-half of life in our home. Also, thank you to Diep Miller and Sonya Dawson at Apple Creek Adult Homes and all their caregivers, for making her last month on this earth a safe and loving place to be.
A public viewing will be on Friday, May 3rd from 4-7:00 p.m. at Keith and Keith Funeral Home, 902 W. Yakima Ave., Yakima, WA. The funeral will be Saturday, May 4th at 11:00 a.m., (followed by a luncheon) at Westside Church, 6901 Summitview Ave., Yakima, WA. A family graveside service will be held on Monday, May 6th at 1:00 p.m. at Desert Lawn Cemetery, Kennewick, WA.
The family suggests memorial contributions to be made to the Union Gospel Mission, the Yakima Humane Society, or a charity of the donor’s choice.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.keithandkeith.com for the Howard family.
The Funeral Service can be viewed via livestream at this link.
https://www.youtube.com/@westsidechurch9441/streams
