Anita Gail Howard

Anita Gail Howard of Jeffersonville, IN, formerly of Princeton, WV, was lifted up on Sunday, October 6, to experience the ultimate love of God and the eternal bliss of heaven. She suffered only briefly from a rare pulmonary illness that consumed her within four months of original diagnosis. Anita was born in Bluefield, WV in 1966 and lived in Montcalm before moving with her family to Princeton in 1973, where she graduated as valedictorian in 1984 from Princeton High School. She continued her studies at Bluefield State College earning a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science degree, with honors. After college she worked as a software engineer in Louisville, KY for Humana, Inc., among other corporations, for 11 years. In 1999 she chose to change careers to serve others full time as a personal care giver and manager of those services. Anita’s life was a blessing to more people than can be enumerated. She primarily dedicated her adult life to caring for those who could not care for themselves. Outside of her caregiving profession she contributed a large portion of her “free” time to serving Special Olympics in Indiana. For nearly 20 years, her greatest delight was to help athletes achieve their best and bring smiles to their faces. Anita was preceded in death by her father R.L. Howard, Jr. and survived by her mother, Betty Howard, fiancé, John Hryciuk, brother Paul Howard and his wife Susan, brother Mark Howard and his wife Ava, as well as niece, Katie Howard and nephews, Jeffrey, Stephen and Matthew Howard. She cherished her family and was the primary caregiver for her mother, Betty, for the last year while combating her own illness. Her nephews and niece have many special memories of her treating them to some of the best family times of their lives. Anita’s sense of humor contributed to the continual Howard bantering which always filled the Howard household with laughter. Her family will miss her immeasurably. A casual celebration of Anita’s life will be held on Saturday, October 12, at Cravens-Shires Funeral Home, 3431 Coal Heritage Road, Bluefield, WV from 4 to 6 PM with a short service to follow at 6PM. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to the CHILD Foundation, P.O. Box 721051, Norman, OK 73070 (www.child-foundation.com). A memorial service will be held in the future in Jeffersonville, IN. Online condolences will be accepted at www.cravens-shires.com Cravens-Shires Funeral Home, 3431 Coal Heritage Road (Bluewell), Bluefield, WV 24701 is serving the family.