Nov. 21, 1965 - Feb. 19, 2009

GOSHEN -- Kimberly Sue "Kim" Howell, 43, of Goshen died unexpectedly on Thursday (Feb. 19, 2009) at Goshen General Hospital.

She was born Nov. 21, 1965, in Harvey, Ill., to Earl Edward and Helen L. (Lyman) Haslett. She married John M. Howell on May 4, 1991 in Elkhart. They celebrated 18 years of marriage and were together for 24 years.

He survives, along with sons Bryan (Chararko) Haslet of Elkhart and Derek (Janine) Howell of Westville, Ind.; her parents, Earl E. and Helen L. Haslet of Portage, Ind.; and two sisters, Laura (William) Evans of Portage and Barb (Benny) Clark of Elizabethton, Tenn.

She was preceded in death by her grandparents, Arthur and Betty Lyman and Earl and Marion Haslet and her special baby dog, Butchie.

Mrs. Howell was a 1983 graduate of Portage High School and enjoyed going to auctions, garage sales and hanging with her friends at her favorite place, Hacienda Restaurant.

She was the District Manager for Avon for the past two years and had been with the company for 15 years. She was formerly employed at Ventline in Bristol for nine years and ran a floral business out of her home for several years as well. Because of her green thumb and love for flowers and roses she was known as "The Rose Lady" to her family and friends.

She had a special love for animals and will be especially missed by her two Labradors, Scooter and Nieko.

A celebration of Mrs. Howell's life will take place from 2 to 5 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. Feb. 24 at Billings Funeral Home, 812 Baldwin St. A parish Rosary will conclude the evening at 8 p.m. Friends may also call one hour prior to the 11 a.m. Mass of Christian Burial on Wednesday at St. Mary of the Annunciation Catholic Church, 411 W. Vistula St., Bristol. Father Robert A. Vankempen will officiate with burial and graveside committal services to follow at Prairie Street Cemetery in Elkhart.

Memorials may be directed to any breast cancer research foundation or The Humane Society of Elkhart County. Online condolences may be sent to Mrs. Howell's family at www.billingsfuneralhome.com