Sheila Ann (Steele) Howard

Sheila Howard, 78, of Brenham, passed away on Sunday, November 15, 2020.

Sheila was born April 22, 1942, to Tom and Naomi Ruth (Rife) Steele, in St. John’s, Newfoundland, where her father served in the military. She received her bachelor’s degree in education from Texas Christian University, where she was a member and President of Delta Gamma. She married John Howard in 1965, and the couple moved to Jacksonville, Texas. John joined the USAF and served four years while Sheila taught seventh-grade English and Texas history. The couple then moved to Paris, Texas, where John joined his father in the construction business and Sheila became a full-time mother to Sutton and Marrit. In 1973, the family moved to Houston. In 1991, they came to Austin County. Sheila was a florist and the owner of Hearts and Flowers in Brenham from 1991–1998. In 1998, Sheila and John together started a “Mom and Pop” high-quality hay operation. They worked side by side until John’s death in 2017.

Sheila enjoyed flower and vegetable gardening and liked canning her homegrown vegetables. She was a member of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension (TEEA).

She was preceded in death by her parents, Tom and Ruth Steele, husband John, and daughter Sutton. She is survived by: daughter Marrit Ingman and her partner Michael Belile of Austin; grandson William Ingman of Austin, who is currently attending Emerson College; brother Michael Steele and his wife Sandra of Tomball; nephew Michael Forrest Steele of Magnolia, niece Morgan Steele of Floresville; and stepsister Rayellen Milburn of College Station.

Visitation will be Thursday, November 19 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., at Brenham Memorial Chapel. A private graveside service will be held on Friday, November 20 at Prairie Lea Cemetery with Pastor Bobbi Maltas officiating.

Memorials are requested to the John H. and Sheila Howard Memorial Scholarship Fund,
Texas 4-H Development Foundation, P.O. Box 11020, College Station, TX 77842.