Margaret Anglin Howard

Margaret "Peggy" Smith Howard passed away Saturday, May 7, 2011, after a hard-fought and too-short battle with cancer.

Born in Steubenville, Ohio, to Robert and Elizabeth Smith (both deceased), Peggy was the sister of Barbara Smith McKenna (deceased), wife of Dr. Gary McKenna of Morristown, Tenn. She attended Mount de Chantal Academy in Wheeling, W. Va., and Saint Louis University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and met Carroll, her loving husband of 47 years.

Our dear wife and mother was selflessly dedicated to helping others, whether in her devotion to her husband and children; her involvement in myriad organizations that assist the less fortunate, including OASIS, Hospice of Western Kentucky, and Girls Club, Inc.; or her ready willingness to offer her hand to a friend or colleague in need. She was actively involved in her parish at St. Stephen Cathedral, serving as Chair of Parish Council and as a Eucharistic and Liturgical Minister, among other roles.

A strong advocate of education, Peggy spent much of her time and energy toward its advancement, from serving on the school board of St. Stephen Elementary School to her tenure on the Kentucky State Board of Education. Once her children were all in school, she resumed her career in nursing at Owensboro Ambulatory Surgical Center and Owensboro Mercy Health System. She was blessed to be able to combine her passions of nursing and education as Program Director of Surgical Technology and Division Chair of Allied Health & Personal Services at Owensboro Community and Technical College. She loved her decade and a half of work at OCTC and the many friends she made there. She was proud of her students and their achievements.

Our wife and mother was known for her spirited energy and determination, which she demonstrated throughout her remarkable life, even up to the very end. Her quick wit and sharp sense of humor will be missed. Our mother loved sports for their demonstration of the human spirit - especially football, which she learned from her father, an All-America guard at Colgate University. She enjoyed gardening, antiquing, reading mysteries, completing crossword puzzles and a good cup of coffee. She most looked forward to the holidays, when she would be surrounded by her family and dearest friends.

Peggy is survived by her loving husband, Dr. Carroll E. Howard, and their five children, Kevin Howard (Libby) of Smithfield, Ky., Amy Howard of Louisville, Robert Howard of Newport, Ky., Lisa Howard Kyle (Eric) of Owensboro, and Heather Howard Jones (Ryan) of Seattle, along with five grandchildren who meant everything to her and gave her so much pride and happiness: Patrick and Evelyn Howard, and Rachel, Abbey and Meghan Kyle.

The family would like to thank the doctors and nurses at Owensboro Mercy Health Systems and Vanderbilt Medical Center for their care. We are profoundly grateful to the nurses and aides of Hospice of Western Kentucky, whose remarkable work brought much-needed comfort in a trying time. We would also like to express our heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to our family, friends and wonderful neighbors for the cards, flowers, thoughts and prayers that bolstered our spirits, and the food that nourished our bodies.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10 a.m. CDT Wednesday at St. Stephen Cathedral, 610 Locust St. Visitation will be from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. CDT Tuesday at Glenn Funeral Home and Crematory, 900 Old Hartford Road, with prayers at 6 p.m. and after 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday with internment in Resurrection Cemetery.

Expressions of sympathy may be made to OASIS, Inc., or Hospice of Western Kentucky.

Online condolences may be left at www.glennfuneralhome.com.