Linda May Howard

Colchester, VT -- Linda May Howard, 72 of Milton, peacefully passed away January 21, 2023, at McClure Miller Respite House with her family by her side. 

Linda was born on January 24, 1950, in Glens Falls, NY, the daughter of Robert Doran and Anita (Lazure) Doran. 

She married her high school sweetheart Calvin Coolidge Howard, Jr. on September 4th, 1971, at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Glens Falls, NY.  For the past 15 years she worked as a Quality Assurance Technician at Keurig Dr. Pepper (Green Mountain Coffee Roasters) and 20 years prior in medical supply production at CR Bard in Queensbury, NY.  

Linda was raised one of six girls in a house that was also shared with multiple foster children through her childhood.  She was always surrounded by love and taught to give what you can, even the very little you have, to others. She embodied this value throughout the rest of her life. Linda loved nature especially taking walks with her family near her home admiring the flowers and other foliage. During walks in the winter, she was always on the look for animal tracks, reminiscing about her hunting days with her husband.  In the summer, she was most often found sitting on the back deck reading a good book, enjoying the birds, gardening, and occasionally lucking out with a wild animal sighting. When it got too hot, she'd fearlessly jump full blast into the pool to cool off.  She was an avid shopper and loved a good garage sale. She enjoyed antiquing early in her marriage with her husband, sister Gloria and brother-in-law Bob.  She was an avid reader, enjoyed craft making, loved to travel and her happy place was the ocean. Yearly family trips to either Hampton Beach, Maine, Cape Cod and Florida were some of her favorite spots over the years. Above all else, Linda adored spending time with her family. Linda's bond with her daughter Becky was unequaled. They were true soulmates and best friends doing absolutely everything together, including both fighting cancer side by side these past two years. Linda adored her son-in-law Marty and they were often caught listening to music, gabbing, and having a beer with each other in the driveway. Linda's grandkids, Rileigh and Sean, were the pride and joy of her last 18 years. She adored them from the second they were born and was so proud to be able to be present for all their special moments and to contribute daily to the people they were becoming. Raising her nephew Bobby when his parents passed at the age of 12 was one of the greatest honors of her life. Enjoying seeing him turn into an amazing man with a wonderful family of his own was one of her greatest pleasures. She adored her sisters whose bond was unbreakable.  Some of her favorite times were spent with her sisters, nieces and nephews playing games and talking about memories of their childhood. 

She is survived by her only child, daughter Rebekah (Howard) Boyle and her husband Martin Boyle, of Milton; her deeply cherished grandchildren, Rileigh Boyle, Sean Boyle; her beloved nephew Robert Scherer, whom was a son to her, his wife Kelly Tallback and their two boys Malcolm and Bodhi, her sisters, Renee Leguire and husband Matt, of Clifton Park, NY, Pamela Webb and husband Paul, of Glens Falls, NY and Diana Stockwell, of Queensbury, NY, and 8 nieces and nephews whom she all loved dearly. 

She is predeceased by her father, Robert Doran; mother, Anita Doran; sisters, Gloria Scherer and Carol Bean; Brother-in-laws Robert Scherer and Jesse Stockwell; and nephew Patrick Webb. 

A private celebration of life will take place in New York per the families wishes. 

Donations in memory of Linda can be made to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network https://pancan.org/

The family would like to thank the doctors, nurses, and staff of the UVMMC Hematology and Oncology and Radiation Oncology Departments, UVMMC Hospice care, and McClure Miller Respite House for their outstanding medical care, compassion, and friendship.