Mr. WILLIAM HENRY HOWELL was called into a peaceful eternal rest on Friday, April 6, 2018 at Pruitt Health in Durham, North Carolina. He was born March 13, 1927 in Mecklenburg County, Virginia to the late McKinley and Lue Ellen Howell. He married Virginia A. Talley in December 1948 and to this union six children were born.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife Virginia; four brothers: Richard, George, Irving, James, and two sisters, Louise and Martha Mae.  

William, affectionately known as “Bro”, grew up working with his parents on the farm where he acquired the heart and skills of a farmer.  For most of his life he raised large gardens that provided fresh “organic” vegetables for his household, family and friends. During any season, there seemed to be something in Bro’s garden to pick.  His favorite hobby was fishing.  He especially enjoyed and was very good at fresh-water fishing.  It was not unusual for him to catch a tub of bass, catfish and perch in a single outing.  He self-taught himself many crafts, one which he perfected was barbering.  He was well known in the community for his hair cutting skills and had many customers who preferred him as their barber. 

Like many young adults in his generation in the South, he recognized that the financial returns in farming were low relative to other professions.   So, with courage, strong work ethic and a reservoir of natural talents, he set out to make a living in a way different from his father.  Early in his marriage he landed a job in road construction and learned the craft of cement finishing under the mentorship of Albert Bennett of Palmer Springs, VA.   He worked a short period for the Nello Teer Company before joining the T.E. Brown Construction Company of Virginia, where he worked for more than five decades and rose to be the lead cement finisher and a supervisor in the company.  He finished his career working for Mason Day Construction Company of South Boston, VA.

He leaves to cherish his memories: six children, William E. Howell of Temple Hills, MD, James L. (Gloria) Howell of Ft. Washington, MD, Gwendolyn Howell Newsome of Woodbridge, VA; Gwenervere Howell (Curtis) Alexander of Palmer Springs, VA, Calvin R. (Evelyn) Howell of Durham, NC, and Franklin D. Howell of Palmer Springs, VA; four brothers, Walter Howell of Patterson, NJ, McKinley (Thelma) Howell of Newark, NJ, Nelson (Alana) Howell of Bronx, NY, and Larry Howell, Birmingham, AL; four sisters, Clementine Russell of Palmer Springs, VA,  Florence Howell (Fred Hite) of South Hill, VA, Odell (Willie) Glaspie of King George, VA, and Alice Hargrove of Wise, NC; also brother-in-law Calvin Talley of Washington, DC and sister-in-law Rebecca Howard of Hampton, VA; 11 grandchildren; 22 great grandchildren; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives and friends.