Wanda Howell

Wanda Howell of Cincinnati passed away peacefully and surrounded by family on the morning of Sunday, July 17th, 2022. Wanda Lou Ford was born to Dorothy Marie Knott and Willie James Ford on December 18th, 1949 in Henry County, Tennessee. Wanda, the second of three daughters, grew up on a small subsistence farm in rural Tennessee until the family moved to Memphis and then to Cincinnati when she was nine. While Wanda was in grade school, a teacher told her mother that she was a gifted student and should go to college. Dorothy saved over the years, and Wanda became one of the first two members of her extended family to earn a university degree. After receiving a B.S. from Miami University of Ohio, an M.Ed. from the University of Cincinnati, a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, and working as a registered dietician for hospitals and universities in Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Atlanta, and Philadelphia, Wanda began her career in academia in Tucson, Arizona. Wanda started at the University of Arizona in 1986 as a lecturer in the Department of Nutritional Sciences, and retired thirty years later as a University Distinguished Professor and Director of the Didactic Dietetics Program. Throughout her career, Wanda was at the forefront of research in her field, publishing widely in respected scholarly journals and monographs, and receiving dozens of honors and awards. Due to her research on the health benefits of eggs, she proudly accepted the title of "The Egg Lady." Wanda also shaped future generations of scholars and dieticians, teaching thousands of undergraduates and mentoring over a dozen Ph.D. and masters students. In addition to her own achievements, Wanda always gave back, serving as the Chair of the Faculty Senate for nearly a decade, and writing over 500 letters of recommendation for her students and colleagues.   Outside of her professional life, Wanda was always curious and adventurous. She pursued many interests, including cheerleading, skiing, fencing, bowling, bridge, aerobics, and piloting small aircraft. She also loved to travel, visiting places like Japan, South America, the Caribbean, Europe, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates. She also enjoyed spending quiet time either with loved ones or on her own, reading, cooking, tending her plants, or solving incredibly complicated puzzles. Whether at work, at home, or on an adventure, Wanda loved life, loved her family, and loved her friends. She touched many lives and will be missed deeply by all who knew her.   Wanda is preceded in death by her father and her mother, and is survived by her husband, Nelson Howell, her son, James Howell, her sisters, Patsy McCamey and Betty Hoevenaar, and her nephew, Jeremy Hoevenaar. Wanda's family would like to extend special thanks to the nurses, aides, staff, and volunteers at Hospice of Cincinnati. They embraced Wanda with compassion and dignity, and allowed her to spend her final weeks surrounded by warmth and love. Therefore, in lieu of flowers or gifts, Wanda asked that donations be made to Hospice of Cincinnati (https://hospiceofcincinnati.org/donate/).