Lena Howard

| October 29, 2004 9:00 PM

Lena Howard, 94, passed away September 30, 2004 at SunBridge Nursing Home in Moses Lake, Wash. after a short illness.

Funeral services were held at 2:30 p.m. Friday, October 8, 2004 at Washington Memorial Park in SeaTac, Wash., where she was laid to rest next to her loving husband, Harry H. Howard.

Lena was born in Kingfisher County, near Dover, Okla. on August 23, 1910, to Charles and Hettie Finley. She was blessed with four brothers, Earl, Lee, Glen and Bob, and two sisters, Edith and Bonnie.

She graduated from Atwood Community High School in Kansas in 1929 with honors. Lena married Harry H. Howard in St. Francis, Kan. on March 21, 1931.

She worked as a telephone operator and secretary in the courthouse at St. Francis during the Dust Bowl and Great Depression years.

Lena and Harry and their four children moved west to Boise, Idaho and then on to Seattle in 1940. Harry worked in the shipyards as an electrician during World War II and continued until his retirement in the mid 1970s. He passed away August 26, 1980.

Lena worked at Boeing Air Craft Co. during the war years, until 1949. She was an original "Rosie the Riveter" on assembly of B-17 Bombers.

After a short move to Boise, she and Harry moved back to Seattle, and Lena began a long career with Sears, which ended with her retirement on January 10, 1976.

Lena is survived by: sisters, Edith Aherns of California and Bonnie Rasmussen of Silverdale, Wash.; brother, Bob of Dover; her children, Douglas Howard of Moses Lake, Eldon Howard of Bainbridge Island, Wash., Lowell Howard of Renton, Wash. and Charlene Gilligan of Dallas, Texas; and 13 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren and one great great-grandchild.

She was preceded in death by parents, Charles and Hettie Finley, husband, Harry, brothers, Lee, Glen and Earl Finley, grandsons, Glenn and Mark Howard and great-granddaughter, Jennifer Howard.

Lena was a member of West Seattle Presbyterian Church for 45 years, where she wore out many Bibles in her pursuit of God's word.

A job well done, my good and faithful servant.