By Abigail W. Adams
Bridesmaid Jan Falkin and Dot Howell (left to right) reunited at Dot’s 90th birthday celebration on Aug. 22 in Whitefield. Falkin helped Howell pick-out china, silverware, and her wedding dress for her wedding to Jay Howell in 1948. (Abigail Adams photo)üý |
Friends, neighbors, former colleagues, and four generations of the Howell family gathered at the Feather and Fleece Farm in Whitefield Saturday, Aug. 22 to celebrate the 90th birthday of Dorothy “Dot” Howell -C a mainstay of Whitefield since her and her husband, Jay Howell, made the town their home in 1953.
“Obviously the town cares a lot about her,” granddaughter Hannah Burns said. “They’re all here.”
In addition to a large portion of Whitefield’s population, former colleagues from the U.S. Census Bureau traveled to Whitefield from all over New England to celebrate the beginning of a new decade for Dot. “It’s an honor for us to be here,” Jose and Erika Batista said. The Batistas traveled from New Jersey to attend the celebration. “She’s been a blessing in our lives.”
Dot Howell was raised in Connecticut, earned a degree in mathematics from Wellesley College, and worked as an engineering aid at Pratt & Whitney from 1947 to 1953.
Dot and Jay Howell moved to Whitefield in 1953 and started a chicken farm, the Feather and Fleece Farm on Townhouse Road, where they raised their five children. In the 1970s, Dot Howell embarked on yet another career working for the U.S. Census Bureau, where she trained approximately 300 employees.
“She was understanding and easy-going. She was a great person to work with,” Dick Snyder, a former colleague, said.
Dot Howell’s bridesmaid, Jan Falkin, traveled from Connecticut to be with Dot on her birthday. The two have been friends since they were 14 years old, Falkin said. Falkin remembered with fondness shopping with Dottie for her wedding.
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Granddaughter Laura Howell (center) made and decorated the birthday cake (left) for the celebration of the begining of Dot Howell’s next decade. Friends, neighbors, former colleagues, and family traveled to Whitefield from near and far on Aug. 22 to celebrate Howell’s 90th birthday. (Abigail Adams photo) |
The two picked out china, silverware, and even her wedding dress, Falkin said. Falkin recited a poem to toast Dot Howell after the crowd sang “happy birthday” and the candles on the cake made and decorated by granddaughter Laura Howell were blown out.
“She’s been a great mother to us all,” daughter Wendy Stanley said.
At 90 years old, Dot Howell is still going strong. She swims like a fish, friends say, and she enjoys going to her daughter’s camp.
Her family and friends keep her very busy, Dot Howell said. When she has time to relax, she enjoys sitting in her rocking chair under the sun and waving at the pedestrians and cars that travel down Townhouse Road, she said.
“It’s a delight to be here and to be able to enjoy old age together,” brother-in-law Leonard Howell said.
