Alyce died at the Bethal nursing home where she had lived since September of 2006. Her family was so grateful for the loving care that she received there and visited her often. . She had a very peaceful death. She asked to be put to bed at about 4:30 in the afternoon and then, shortly after, called out her mother's name and died instantly. It seemed to the family as if she had gone straight to heaven. Her obituary appeared in the San Jose Mercury News on February 19, 2007: Alyce I. Gilliam
Alyce went home to be with her Lord and Savior on Feb. 15, 2007. She was born in Rulo, Nebraska on May 18, 1915 and raised on her parents, Stephen and Susie (Plante) Cunningham's farm. She attended the University of Missouri at Columbia and obtained a degree in journalism. Alyce worked around the Midwest and East Coast and soon married Basil A. Howell, who joined the Navy during World War II. After the war, they settled in San Jose, CA and had 3 sons, Basil, William and Wade Howell. After her husband's early passing, Alyce married Jerre L. Gilliam and they had a son, Jerre.
Alyce lived in San Jose from 1945 to 2005. She is survived by her loving sons, Basil (Esperanza) of Oakdale, CA, William of Palm Springs, CA, Wade (Joyce) of Spencerport, NY and Jerre (Agnes) of Reno, NV, her cherished grandchildren, Charlene Allnut (Frank) of Oakdale, CA, Albert Howell (Gigi) of Las Vegas, NV, Gavin Howell of Oakdale, CA, William Howell of Las Vegas, CA, Eric Howell (Katerina) of Columbia MD Jamie Howell of the US Coastguard and Coralee Quintana of Albuquerque, NM, and her great-grandchildren, Chezaraye, Frankey, Zakerey, Wisdom, Coltrane, Sara, Rachel and Elizabeth.
Services will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 21st, 1:00 PM, at Oak Hill Funeral Home's Chapel of the Oaks, 300 Curtner Avenue, San Jose, Ca. Burial will follow services at Oak Hill Memorial Park.