Illene Howell

Illene Phyllis Howell was born August 13, 1937, the daughter of Johannes and Adelia Carstens Johannsen. She died Monday, December 28, 2009, at Horn Memorial Hospital in Ida Grove, Iowa, at the age of seventy-two.
Illene was born in Ida Grove, Iowa. She attended school in Alta and graduated from Alta High School in 1955. On September 15, 1957, she was united in marriage to Allen Howell at the Little Brown Church in Nashua, Iowa. Together they made their home in Ida Grove. She worked at a factory in Storm Lake, Iowa. After her marriage, she was a devoted homemaker and kept busy caring for foster children. The couple adopted Kevin in 1964 and Rebecca in 1968. The family then moved to Westminster, Colorado.
She was a caring and devoted wife and mother. With a love for children, no children were turned away. The door was always open and there was a hot meal for anyone who needed it. She mothered everyone and was known as grandma, friend and sister by many. She always had kind words to say about everyone. Illene had a wonderful relationship with her family and enjoyed spending time with them, including camping or playing cards, especially canasta and pinochle. Her fondest memory in recent years was going to Jackpot Junction in Morton, Minnesota, with her grandsons. Every spring she and her grandchildren would re-pot flowers, which she always looked forward to doing with them. For more than 10 years, she worked at Mid-Sioux Opportunities in Ida Grove, a clothing and food center for those needing assistance. In Colorado she was a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church.
Illene was preceded in death by her parents and her husband, Allen. Survivors include one son, Kevin Howell and his special friend, Michelle Reed of Ida Grove; one daughter, Rebecca Howell-Joenks of Clarksville, Tennessee; six grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; two sisters: Marcella Schultz of Laredo, Texas; Dee Chapman of North Carolina; one goddaughter, Shelly Dehner of Olney, Illinois; other relatives and friends.