Jeanette H. Howell, 81, of Pemaquid, died Oct. 13 at Miles Memorial Hospital in Damariscotta.
Born in Portsmouth, England, on June 2, 1925, she was the daughter of Henry Augustus Butler Frere and Mary (Randall) Frere.
Mrs. Howell grew up in Dorset, England, and upon completion of her schooling at the age of sixteen, became a nurse where she served throughout WWII.
In 1947, she met her husband, Robert Howell, who was on furlough from his job in Burma. They married in 1948, upon his return, and lived first in London and later in Surry and Buckinghamshire, prior to moving to New Jersey in 1976.
While in New Jersey, Mrs. Howell founded the Fine Art and Decorative Society, which is still going strong.
The couple then moved to Colorado where Mrs. Howell was the administrator for an historic mansion, which once belonged to Colorado’s second governor.
The Howells moved to Maine in 1983, and Mrs. Howell immediately became active in the community. She was president of Damariscotta Arts Council; a trustee for Round Top Center for the Arts; a trustee and director of Lincoln County Historical Associations; hosted the first conference of Maine Association of Museums; managed Montpelier in Thomaston, the historic home of General Henry Knox; and served three terms as Senior Warden at St. Andrew’s Church in Newcastle.
In 2004, Mrs. Howell was honored with the presentation of the Jefferson Award, an award that was co-established in 1972 by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis to honor ordinary people who do extraordinary things.
Mrs. Howell is survived by her husband, Robert Howell of Pemaquid; children, Josephine Thalia Howell Kmetz of Brooklyn, N.Y., Robert Henry Adam Howell of Flemington, N.J., and Matthew Charles Howell of Hohokus, N.J.; brother, Kenneth Henry Butler-Frere of Abingdon, England; and five grandchildren, Henry, Charles, Beatrice, Arlene and Victoria.
Graveside service 11 a.m., Wed., Oct. 25 at Harrington Cemetery in Pemaquid.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Friends of Colonial Pemaquid, P.O. Box 304, New Harbor, ME 04554, in the name of Jeanette Howell.
Arrangements are entrusted to the care of Strong Funeral Home and Cremation Center, 612 Main St., Damariscotta.
