Brenda Faye Howard

Ms. Brenda Faye Howard, age 82, of Durham, passed away peacefully Tuesday, June 11, 2024, at Eno Pointe Assisted Living with her children by her bedside. She had been in declining health since last October and had battled dementia since 2016.

A native of Danville, Va., she was the daughter of the late Felix Neal Howard, a Funeral Director, and Fay Litton Howard, a Registered Nurse. She was educated in the Danville Public Schools and was a graduate of George Washington High School, Class of 1959. Following graduation, she enrolled in the Secretarial Program at Averett College. She completed the program in 1960.

Ms. Howard was Secretary to the Vice-President of Schoolfield Bank & Trust Company from 1960 until 1974 and Secretary to the Medical Director of Southern Virginia Mental Health Institute from 1976 until 1992. In 1992, she accepted a secretarial position at Duke Eye Center and moved to Durham. She held various positions within Duke University and Duke University Medical Center, notably the Duke Clinical Research Institute, Pastoral Services, Cognitive Neuroscience, and Infectious Diseases – the clinic from which she retired in March 2006.

In her retirement, Ms. Howard pursued her love of English bulldogs by joining various interest groups on Facebook and making friends with other bulldog lovers around the world. She rescued two English bulldogs of her own, Dottie and Doxy, and was the proud dog parent of Clementine, whom she had from eight weeks until her passing at the age of 13. She also enjoyed vacationing at the beach, coloring, cooking, word search puzzles, shopping, and spending time with her children and their spouses.

Ms. Howard is survived by her daughter, Felicia Faye Briggs and her husband, Jesse Briggs, of Fuquay-Varina; her son, James Litton Howard and his spouse, Ben White, of Durham; and her brother, F. Neal Howard, Jr. and his wife, Joy Howard, of Danville.

The funeral service was held on Saturday, June 15, 2024 in the Chapel of Mitchell Funeral Home, with entombment to follow in Raleigh Memorial Park.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Bullies 2 the Rescue, by using the link below, under 'Donations', or a favorite charity.

If you would like to leave a favorite memory / story of Brenda, or a message of condolence for her family, you may do so below, within 'Add a Memory'.