Barbara Ann Howard

Beloved wife, mother, and grandmother, Barbara Ann Howard, passed away on January 9th, 2025 at the age of 86. She was born and raised in Milwaukee, WI.  She met Warren Howard when she was 18 and he was a 2nd Lieutenant in the US Army, stationed in Milwaukee.

Barbara married Warren on October 25, 1958 when she was 20 and they were happily married for 59 years. She and Warren farmed for 4 years in Burrton, KS on his family’s farm.  While living in Burrton, their son Donald was born. In 1962, Warren got a job as an FDA inspector which required frequent relocations. The young family moved to Kansas City, MO, where their daughter Carol was born. Shortly afterward in 1963, they relocated to Wheeling, IL in the Chicago area, and 5 years later they moved to Cherry Hill, NJ, where their daughter Sharon was born. In 1973, for Warren’s job with the FDA, they moved once more, buying a house and settling in Silver Spring, MD. Barbara took classes for 7 years and finished her undergraduate degree at University of MD in 1980. Besides raising 3 children and taking classes, Barbara taught Sunday School at Colesville UMC and volunteered for many years with Meals on Wheels, delivering meals and as a routing chairperson.

Beginning in 1982, Barbara worked as a tax preparer for H&R Block and continued there for over a decade. Throughout her adult life, Barbara and her husband were active members and volunteers at several United Methodist churches. She began working as church treasurer at Colesville UMC in 1985 and stayed on for 12 years.

In 1993, after the kids were grown up, Barbara and Warren moved to Burtonsville, MD. They started attending Mt. Zion UMC and volunteered with the Stephens Ministry.  Barbara, after becoming an IRS Enrolled Agent, began working from home as a tax consultant and auditor, often helping retired clients with difficult and challenging tax issues.

Barbara and Warren loved to travel and took numerous and adventurous trips to locations such as Alaska, Scandinavia, Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, Panama and Costa Rica.

In May 2022, Barbara moved to an assisted living facility in Laurel, Maryland, then in July 2023, she entered Hospice at a Rockville Nursing Home.

Barbara is survived by her three children, Donald Howard, Carol Matsumura and Sharon Keller and her four grandchildren: Rachel and Lauren Matsumura, Natalie and Jacob Keller.

A memorial service to celebrate Barbara’s life will be held at 2pm on March 1, at Mt Zion United Methodist Church,  12430 Scaggsville Road, Highland, MD 20777. https://mtzionhighland.com/

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly wishes that gifts be made to Mt Zion United Methodist Church or Habitat for Humanity of Metro Maryland https://habitatmm.org/