Irene Sylvia Howell

Funeral services will be at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, August 30, 2014 at Collier-Butler Chapel for Irene Malone Howell, 89 of Gadsden, who passed away, Wednesday, August 27, 2014. Rev. Eddie Tawbush will officiate. Burial will be at Mt. Lookout Methodist Cemetery. Collier-Butler Funeral and Cremation Services is directing.

Mrs. Howell started sewing at the age of five and was a wonderful seamstress. She was the oldest of twelve children and was the Matriarch of the family. She was often called “Our Motherly Sister”. She was a leader, an administrator, a strong willed individual who was also a very giving person. Her hobbies of quilting, and crocheting yielded beautiful gifts, treasures and heirlooms from her heart for which she will long be remembered. Irene loved to travel to the Smokey Mountains and also to Florida’s beaches and Disney World. She enjoyed leading songs at her lifelong church, New Union Holiness Church.

She was preceded in death by her husband Oscar Howell; brothers, Jackie Hoyt, Edward, Gordon, and Jimmy Malone; and sister, Yvonne Stanfield.

Mrs. Howell is survived by her daughter and cargiver, Susan (David) Snider; granddaughter, Abigail Irene Snider; brothers, Marcell Malone, Larry Malone, and Ray Malone; sisters, Peggy VanAlphen, Wilene Graves, and Barbara Hawkins; special niece, Maxine Graves Downing; special nephew, Glenn Eric Graves and special cousin, Barry Dykes.

Pallbearers will be family and friends.

Flowers will be accepted or memorials may be made to the Alzheimer’s Foundation.

The family will accept friends from 12:00-2:00 p.m. Saturday prior to the service.

Online condolence may be made at www.collier-butler.com.