James Charles Howell, 95, son of George M. Howell and Elva J. Pegg Howell, was born Aug. 31, 1912, at the family farm near Eunice. He died Feb. 15, 2008, at the Mountain View Health Care Center.
Mr. Howell served in the U.S. Army from Jan. 22, 1943, to July 14, 1945. While serving in World War II, he served in England, Normandy, France, through Europe, to Italy and Africa. He earned a Bronze Star.
After serving in WWII, he married Lorraine Mendenhall. They later divorced.
He moved to Tennessee and married Juanita, while working as a security guard for a state facility.
While working in Tennessee, he bought 80 acres in the home area at Eunice, where he built a house, barn and outbuildings. When he retired, he moved back to Eunice.
He married Mabel Baney in 1974.
In August 2001, after spending time in the veterans hospital at Poplar Bluff, he lived with his niece until 2003. After several moves, he came back to his farm with Mabel, lived at the Summersville Senior Housing and later to Mountain View Health Care.
He attended Eunice Baptist Church and while living with his niece, the Cabool General Baptist Church.
He was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Mabel; and two sisters, Bessie Van Deusen and Hester Culler.
Surviving are nieces, Alice Mann of Mountain Grove, Margaret Garrett of Dixon, Kathy Fees of Eunice and Robin Ringstad Aubach of Stockton, Calif.; great-nieces and cousins.
Services were Feb. 18 at the Bradford Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Brad Wallace officiating. Burial with military honors was in the Bethel Cemetery.
