Bobbye Jo Howell

Bobbye Jo Hubbard Howell, 93, of Davidson, died on Palm Sunday, April 13, 2025.

Bobbye was born on September 14, 1931, in Mt. Olive, Mississippi, to Wirt James Hubbard and Icey Josephine Polk Hubbard. She was predeceased by her husband Billy "Wool" Shaw Howell, Jr., brothers, William James Hubbard and John Reed Hubbard, sisters-in-law Joy Hubbard and Jamie Hubbard, and her daughter-in-law Robin Pridgen Howell.

Bobbye grew up in Prentiss, Mississippi and attended Central High School and Belhaven College in Jackson and then the Presbyterian School for Christian Education (now Union Theological Seminary) in Richmond, Virginia. She did field service in Pefkochori, Greece with the World Council of Churches and participated in a mission trip to Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

While a student in Richmond, Bobbye met Wool Howell of Charlotte, North Carolina. The two were married on August 25, 1956. Wool passed away in 2016, after 60 years of marriage. Bobbye is survived by her four children, Sydenham Brevard Howell (Dee Rogers), John Mark Howell, Sarah Fairly Howell (Andrew Shryock), and Mary Robertson Howell, two grandchildren John Mark Howell, Jr. (Lauren Almond Howell) and Eleanor Grace Howell-Shryock (Jonathon Zarger), and two delightful great grandchildren, Aubrey Jane Howell and Jack Shaw Howell.

Guided by their strong faith, Bobbye and Wool Howell committed their life together to Christian ministry and service to the Presbyterian Church. They studied counseling in San Bernardino, California, served congregations in Olivia and Barbeque, NC, Shreveport and Luling, LA, and in the Charlotte area. They participated in travel seminars to the Middle East, where they met with leaders and lay people of the Coptic and Orthodox and local Protestant churches. They also visited congregations in China, Japan, Africa, and Central America. More recently, Bobbye and Wool worked together to support the start of seven new congregations in the Charlotte Presbytery.

Bobbye had many loves in her life in addition to her large circle of friends and family. Her loved ones spread out from Mississippi across the US, and reached individuals in Brazil, Japan, and beyond. She loved travel, music, hiking, reading, and the preparation and sharing of good food. She published a sourdough cookbook in the 1980s and helped write a book celebrating the life of her dear mentor, Dr. Charles E.S.Kraemer. Bobbye found great joy playing the piano, dulcimer, and psaltery and in painting watercolors with her friends. She sang in many choirs over the years, including those of Derita Presbyterian Church, First Presbyterian Church of Charlotte and Davidson College Presbyterian Church.

Bobbye opened her homes in Charlotte, on Lake Norman, and in Blowing Rock to all comers, avidly embracing the virtue of Christian hospitality. She greeted friend and stranger alike with genuine warmth, humor, and exuberance. She made those around her feel loved, cared for, and deeply appreciated.

Bobbye served the larger community through her many volunteer efforts. In the 1970s she served on the Synod Commission and Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of Louisiana. In the 1980s she taught English to Laotian refugees in Charlotte and travelled to Lebanon and Palestine on behalf of the Peace and Justice Committee of the Presbyterian Church. In the 1990s she coached incarcerated people through to their GEDs and served on the Presbytery of the Mid Atlantic. In the 2000s Bobbye served as a trustee at Union Theological Seminary and sat on the board of Healing Wings. Wherever she went or worked, Bobbye is remembered as a vivid personality, as a teller of amazing (and usually very funny) stories, and as someone who built and gave sustenance to communities filled with joy and love.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 2:00 pm on Friday, May 23 at Davidson College Presbyterian Church.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Union Theological Seminary, Davidson College Presbyterian Church, or the Resident Support Fund at the Pines.

The family is extremely grateful for the love both parents received from staff, caregivers, and friends at the Pines.

Cavin-Cook Funeral Home & Crematory, Mooresville, is serving the Howell family. Condolences may be made to the family at www.cavin-cook.com.