Lillian Jones “Isabell” Howdershelt, 90, daughter of Alfred Newton Jones and Mazie Maude Beard Jones, passed away peacefully at home on Friday, January 8, 2021, surrounded by her beloved and devoted family. Lillian shared her life with her husband of more than 59 years, John A. Howdershelt, Jr., before his death in 2007. Her last years were spent in the care of her daughters, Melissa and Terry.
While she spent much of her life as a stay-at-home mother and homemaker, she did work in the public sector, retiring from Spotsylvania County Schools where she worked in the cafeteria of Salem Elementary. She was a noted baker and was popularly called “the ice cream lady” by the students.
Lillian’s dedication and service to others were hallmarks of her character and shaped her life from her teenaged years. She often opened her home and always opened her heart to give care and comfort to her family. A soup simmering on the stove, bandages or throat swabs at the ready, dental floss and Chloraseptic in the cabinet, she could and did step from her role of mother and grandmother to that of doctor or dentist at a moment’s notice, earning herself the nickname “Doctor Howdershelt.” She possessed uncommon compassion and empathy for all of God’s creatures, ministering to people, pets, and wild animals throughout her life.
Those who didn’t know Lillian well saw a sweet, fragile woman, yet she was tenacious and fierce when needed. In later years, when she required physical rehab, the seeming fragility earned her another nickname, one bestowed on her by two who befriended her during a brief stay in a nursing home. They called her “Hummingbird.” Those who knew Lillian well also knew that “Hummingbird” was a more apt nickname than her two new friends realized. It reflected that fragility coupled with tenacity, the beauty inside and out, and her very own love of those namesake birds. Only those closest to her were privileged to see her dry wit and surprisingly mischievous and quirky sense of humor.
Lillian is survived by her son, Dwight Howdershelt (Lynda); her daughters, Terry Garfield (Robert) and Melissa Graves (Rick); grandchildren Dawn McGraw, Stephany Hunter, Aryn Garfield and Nicholas Graves; eight great-grandchildren; four great-great grandchildren; and nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her sister, Kathryn Gallahan.
A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, January 18 at Covenant Funeral Service, Fredericksburg Chapel. Interment will follow in Sunset Memorial Gardens.
While she spent much of her life as a stay-at-home mother and homemaker, she did work in the public sector, retiring from Spotsylvania County Schools where she worked in the cafeteria of Salem Elementary. She was a noted baker and was popularly called “the ice cream lady” by the students.
Lillian’s dedication and service to others were hallmarks of her character and shaped her life from her teenaged years. She often opened her home and always opened her heart to give care and comfort to her family. A soup simmering on the stove, bandages or throat swabs at the ready, dental floss and Chloraseptic in the cabinet, she could and did step from her role of mother and grandmother to that of doctor or dentist at a moment’s notice, earning herself the nickname “Doctor Howdershelt.” She possessed uncommon compassion and empathy for all of God’s creatures, ministering to people, pets, and wild animals throughout her life.
Those who didn’t know Lillian well saw a sweet, fragile woman, yet she was tenacious and fierce when needed. In later years, when she required physical rehab, the seeming fragility earned her another nickname, one bestowed on her by two who befriended her during a brief stay in a nursing home. They called her “Hummingbird.” Those who knew Lillian well also knew that “Hummingbird” was a more apt nickname than her two new friends realized. It reflected that fragility coupled with tenacity, the beauty inside and out, and her very own love of those namesake birds. Only those closest to her were privileged to see her dry wit and surprisingly mischievous and quirky sense of humor.
Lillian is survived by her son, Dwight Howdershelt (Lynda); her daughters, Terry Garfield (Robert) and Melissa Graves (Rick); grandchildren Dawn McGraw, Stephany Hunter, Aryn Garfield and Nicholas Graves; eight great-grandchildren; four great-great grandchildren; and nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her sister, Kathryn Gallahan.
A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, January 18 at Covenant Funeral Service, Fredericksburg Chapel. Interment will follow in Sunset Memorial Gardens.
Lillian Jones “Isabell” Howdershelt, 90, daughter of Alfred Newton Jones and Mazie Maude Beard Jones, passed away peacefully at home on Friday, January 8, 2021, surrounded by her beloved and devoted family. Lillian shared her life with her husband of more than 59 years, John A. Howdershelt, Jr., before his death in 2007. Her last years were spent in the care of her daughters, Melissa and Terry.
While she spent much of her life as a stay-at-home mother and homemaker, she did work in the public sector, retiring from Spotsylvania County Schools where she worked in the cafeteria of Salem Elementary. She was a noted baker and was popularly called “the ice cream lady” by the students.
Lillian’s dedication and service to others were hallmarks of her character and shaped her life from her teenaged years. She often opened her home and always opened her heart to give care and comfort to her family. A soup simmering on the stove, bandages or throat swabs at the ready, dental floss and Chloraseptic in the cabinet, she could and did step from her role of mother and grandmother to that of doctor or dentist at a moment’s notice, earning herself the nickname “Doctor Howdershelt.” She possessed uncommon compassion and empathy for all of God’s creatures, ministering to people, pets, and wild animals throughout her life.
Those who didn’t know Lillian well saw a sweet, fragile woman, yet she was tenacious and fierce when needed. In later years, when she required physical rehab, the seeming fragility earned her another nickname, one bestowed on her by two who befriended her during a brief stay in a nursing home. They called her “Hummingbird.” Those who knew Lillian well also knew that “Hummingbird” was a more apt nickname than her two new friends realized. It reflected that fragility coupled with tenacity, the beauty inside and out, and her very own love of those namesake birds. Only those closest to her were privileged to see her dry wit and surprisingly mischievous and quirky sense of humor.
Lillian is survived by her son, Dwight Howdershelt (Lynda); her daughters, Terry Garfield (Robert) and Melissa Graves (Rick); grandchildren Dawn McGraw, Stephany Hunter, Aryn Garfield and Nicholas Graves; eight great-grandchildren; four great-great grandchildren; and nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her sister, Kathryn Gallahan.
A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, January 18 at Covenant Funeral Service, Fredericksburg Chapel. Interment will follow in Sunset Memorial Gardens.
While she spent much of her life as a stay-at-home mother and homemaker, she did work in the public sector, retiring from Spotsylvania County Schools where she worked in the cafeteria of Salem Elementary. She was a noted baker and was popularly called “the ice cream lady” by the students.
Lillian’s dedication and service to others were hallmarks of her character and shaped her life from her teenaged years. She often opened her home and always opened her heart to give care and comfort to her family. A soup simmering on the stove, bandages or throat swabs at the ready, dental floss and Chloraseptic in the cabinet, she could and did step from her role of mother and grandmother to that of doctor or dentist at a moment’s notice, earning herself the nickname “Doctor Howdershelt.” She possessed uncommon compassion and empathy for all of God’s creatures, ministering to people, pets, and wild animals throughout her life.
Those who didn’t know Lillian well saw a sweet, fragile woman, yet she was tenacious and fierce when needed. In later years, when she required physical rehab, the seeming fragility earned her another nickname, one bestowed on her by two who befriended her during a brief stay in a nursing home. They called her “Hummingbird.” Those who knew Lillian well also knew that “Hummingbird” was a more apt nickname than her two new friends realized. It reflected that fragility coupled with tenacity, the beauty inside and out, and her very own love of those namesake birds. Only those closest to her were privileged to see her dry wit and surprisingly mischievous and quirky sense of humor.
Lillian is survived by her son, Dwight Howdershelt (Lynda); her daughters, Terry Garfield (Robert) and Melissa Graves (Rick); grandchildren Dawn McGraw, Stephany Hunter, Aryn Garfield and Nicholas Graves; eight great-grandchildren; four great-great grandchildren; and nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her sister, Kathryn Gallahan.
A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, January 18 at Covenant Funeral Service, Fredericksburg Chapel. Interment will follow in Sunset Memorial Gardens.
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