Patricia Howard

Patricia Ellen Howard, 76, of Southridge Nursing Home formerly of Laurel, passed away July 19, 2011, surrounded by her children and grandchildren.Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 23, 2011, at the Mitchell Family Funeral Home in Marshalltown, Iowa. Visitation will be held an hour prior to service time. Memorials may be directed to the family. Mitchell Family Funeral Home is caring for Patricia and her family. Phone 641-844-1234.Patricia was born and raised in Melbourne, Iowa, to Lee and Mildred Clark Hawkins on June 9, 1935. She graduated from Melbourne High School in 1953 and went to work in Des Moines at Equitable Insurance as a file girl. In the fall of 1954, she met Donald Howard of Laurel at the Apgar pool. They wed June 12, 1955, in Melbourne, then moved to Mingo to set up house eventually moving to Laurel for the remainder of their lives.Patricia had been an active member of the Laurel Methodist Women, Laurel Town and Country Fraus, a volunteer at the Laurel Library and a lifetime member of the OWLS Club.Patricia was especially proud of her grandchildren, Lloyd Michael and Loren Avery Butler, and Tearstyn Ann Howard, and of her adopted daughter, Josie Eggers and adopted granddaughter, Cierra Eggers.She is survived by her mother, Mildred, 98, of Melbourne, her brothers Donald of Asheville, North Carolina, Marvin (Barbara) Hawkins of Marshalltown, brother-in-law George (Iva) Howard of Marshalltown, sister-in-law Ruth (Donald) Howard of Hoffman Estates Illinois, sister-in-law Margeret Howard of Southridge Nursing home; her children Ellen (Patrick) Sloan of Laurel, Kristi Howard of Laurel and Scott Howard of Grinnell, her grandchildren Lloyd Butler of Laurel and Loren Butler of Marshalltown, Tearstyn Howard of Laurel, adopted daughter, Josie Eggers, and adopted grandaugher Cierra EggersPatrrcia is preceded in death by her husband of 53 years, Donald, her oldest daughter Lori in 1984, her father Lee, and several brothers-in-laws and sisters-in-laws.