Jo'Del Marilyn (Both) Hower

Jo’Del Marilyn (Both) Hower Jo’Del Marilyn (Both) Hower, 78 years young and surrounded by her family and their love, went peacefully with God in the early morning hours of 22 May 2016. After suffering years of the ravages of Alzheimer’s, Jo’Del is rejoicing in lost memories and is free of pain. Jo’Del was born in Lackawanna, New York to Medford and Thelma (née Parsons) Both on January 12, 1938. Jo’Del spent most of her youth in Fremont, Ohio where she attended Stamm Elementary School and graduated from Fremont Ross High School in ¬1956. During high school, Jo’Del was extremely active in school clubs and activities, and particularly loved marching band. At Fremont Ross, Jo met the young man who became her husband. It was during these years that she developed her life-long love of Lake Erie and beaches anywhere. It is rumored that (though forbidden by her mother) Jo’Del would occasionally join a party at Gem Beach. Following high school and perhaps influenced by Fred’s move to Columbus to attend The Ohio State University, Jo’Del enrolled in and completed the X-Ray Technician program through White Cross Hospital in Columbus. Jo was always very active with her children and their activities, which included the five years she spent as a Girl Scout troop leader and the thousands of miles driving the kids to sports, music, and civic events. We enjoyed those rides as an opportunity to get some rare time alone with her. Jo’Del also contributed to and enjoyed local associations and activities, including garden clubs (where her arrangements won ribbons for design & creativity), Worthington JCs, and the Worthington Arts Council. Truly an avid learner, her reading topics were diverse and deep. She was deeply aware of current events and kept the dinner table conversation as enlightening as possible . Jo created a happy home and everyone who visited was touched by her hospitality and lack of pretense. She was a generous hostess and a great cook, and she made room for everyone at the table. An extension of that hospitality was how she welcomed an exchange student into the house the minute a bedroom was available. When she and Fred decided to start the Fred Hower Company, Jo’Del automatically became an underpaid General Manager, Chief Operating Officer, Treasurer, and nursery gal. She was truly the tireless woman! The company operated successfully for more than thirty years. She went on to help Fred write columns and contribute to books. Jo’Del created personal happiness and accomplishment through writing her “Garden of the Week” article for the Columbus Dispatch. Through design or default, Jo’Del loved gardens and the beauty of all things natural. Jo’Del is survived by her husband Fred, whom she married on June 21, 1958, daughters Tamara (James-deceased November 2012) Williams of Winterville, NC and Tara Hower of Columbus OH, sons Michael (Martha) of Oceanside CA and Matthew (Olivia) of Worthington and their children Hannah and Noah, brother Lloyd (Betty) of Plano TX. She is also dearly loved by her extended family in eastern North Carolina. Memorial services, officiated by Wesley Russel, will be conducted on Thursday 26 May at the RUTHERFORD-CORBIN FUNERAL HOME, 515 High Street, Worthington OH. Friends may call from 5-7 p.m., followed by the Memorial service at 7 p.m. Jo’Del’s family would like to thank many people who helped Jo in the last few years, specifically: Mount Carmel Hospice, the Palliative Care unit at St Anne’s Hospital and the staff of Pete’s Place. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, Central Ohio Chapter : http://www.alz.org/centralohio/in_my_community_donate.asp or the Shriner’s Hospital for Children: http://www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org/en/donate . Donations can be made online or via envelopes available at the Memorial Service.

Jo'Del Marilyn (Both) Hower

January 12, 1938 - May 22, 2016