Obituary: Shirley Ann Howe SCN, 83, Nazareth
Shirley Ann Howe SCN, 83, (formerly Sister Emmanuel) died June 7, 2024, at Nazareth. She was born Feb. 28, 1941, in Whitesville to Joseph Herman and Bertha Mae McPherson Howe. She was one of the couple’s 13 children. She was a professed Sister of Charity of Nazareth for 61 years.
Her first mission was as a first-grade teacher at St. Ann School in Wollaston, Mass. She continued in education ministry as a grade school teacher at St. Andrew in Roanoke, Va. and St. Edward in Boston. In 1976, she served as principal for St. Margaret in Lowell, Mass. She also served as principal at Holy Name School in Henderson.
In 1988, she became involved in social services, serving the homeless and others in need for many years in the Boston area. She served as the assistant director of counseling services at St. Francis House in Boston. She was the service coordinator for Paul Sullivan Trust Housing, and the program supervisor for Pine Street Housing in Dorchester, Mass. In 2019, she retired from Pine Street Inn in Roxbury, Mass.
She had the opportunity to travel to India through the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth’s east-west exchange program. She spent three months in India.
As a Kentucky native, she hosted an annual Derby Party for her friends, sisters, and associates during her many years in Massachusetts. Upon her retirement to Nazareth, she enjoyed spending time with her sisters in community. She also enjoyed spending time visiting and reconnecting with her family. She was often seen participating in activities on campus, including the weekly art classes offered, some of which she led.
She is survived by three sisters, Martha Howe, Rose Mary Payne, and Millie Carrico; one brother, Frank Howe; her extended family; and her religious community, the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth.
The Funeral Mass is 10:30 a.m. Monday, June 10, 2024, at St. Vincent Church at Nazareth.
Visitation begins at 4 p.m. Sunday, June 9, 2024, followed by her wake at 6:30 p.m. at St. Vincent Church.
Memorials donations may be offered to the Office of Mission Advancement, PO Box 9, Nazareth, KY, 40048.
The Houghlin-Greenwell Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
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