Columbus, NC - Ruth Marion Howell of Tryon Estates, Columbus, died December 30, 2007. She is predeceased by her loving husband, Sidney P. Howell, Jr.; and by her only sister, Jean Ross.Born in Ridgewood, N.J. in 1922, she was a graduate of Ridgewood High School and Paterson State Teacher's College. She and Sid, the love of her life and high school sweetheart, married in 1943 just before he went to war. While Sid served overseas their first child, a daughter, was born. Following his return and completion of his studies at Cornell Law School two more children, both sons, completed the family.She continued to live for many years in northern New Jersey, where she was a painter, taught adult art courses and served a brief stint as a third-grade teacher in the Ramsey, NJ school system. During this time she was a super mom to her own children and many other people, young and old, who found themselves in need of nurturing. In 1985 Ruth and Sid retired to Keowee Key in Salem, SC where they built their dream home. Widowed in 1989, she stayed on at Keowee for 14 years where she remained active as a painter, art teacher, and supporter of the Blue Ridge Art Association, to which she donated a significant wing to their main facility in Seneca, SC.She moved to Tryon Estates in March 2004, where and continued her active life with new friends and old, especially in the arts programs.Ever the jolly warrior, she faced adversity with equanimity and good cheer, and spread her sunny outlook wherever she traveled. Her soul now flown, she leaves behind her three children: daughter Marcia Fusaro of Snowmass, Colorado; and sons Douglas and Russell of Cape Elizabeth, Maine and Wilton, Connecticut, together with their spouses Tony, Sharyn and Cate. She is also survived by five grandchildren: Matthew Howell of Chur, Switzerland; Suzanne Stephens of Carbondale, Colorado; Justin Howell of Seattle, Washington; Caitlin Mazilli of Nairobi, Kenya; and Kimberly Fusaro of Brooklyn, New York.A reception will be held at 1:00 p.m. Friday, January 4, 2008 in the private dining hall of Tryon Estates, Columbus, NC.A memorial service will be held at a later date.Memorials may be made to Hospice of the Carolina Foothills, 130 Forest Glen drive, Columbus, NC 28722.
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