Kathleen E. Howard

Born Kathleen (Kathy) Ellen Dressler on May 11, 1942 in Akron, Ohio, to Cloyd S. Dressler of Liverpool, PA and Ruth Gray Dressler of Killbuck, Ohio, Kathy lived life on her own terms for 82 wonderful years until August 9 th, 2024.

She graduated from Revere High School in 1960 and then went on to work at Prudential Insurance until she married Thomas L. Howard in 1961. For the first four years of her marriage, she and Tom lived in a lighthouse in Maryland located on the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay while Tom served in the U.S. Coast Guard. In 1965, they moved back to Ohio and bought a house in West Akron and raised their 4 children.

Kathy’s colorful and introverted reserved personality was entertaining for most who knew her and will be greatly missed. At times, she had a quiet sense of humor, but with a loud laugh. Her comedic timing and tone were always on point. She appreciated humor in many forms: television, books, newspapers, etc. Kathy was an exceptional conversationalist, even though she would correct your grammar and sentence structure the entire time. If you ever end a sentence with a preposition or confuse the words “lay” and “lie”, she will likely haunt you.

As a lifelong learner, she embraced any opportunity to teach herself new things. For instance, she was a proud owner of the first Apple computer and read the manual cover to cover. She was an avid reader who loved learning new words. As a mom and wife, she ran a tight ship and had dinner promptly ready at 5:30 every night. Throughout her life, she enjoyed many activities that she could do from home: cooking, sewing, gardening, crossword puzzles, trivia, reading, and watching late-night shows. She also enjoyed boating in various lakes from Ohio to Michigan, although she never learned to swim.

She is preceded in death by her husband Thomas, who died in 2011; daughter, Laura Warner in 2017; brothers Lt. Col. Kenneth Dressler, Paul Dressler and Donald J. Dressler; brothers-in-law John Howard and Larry Holtz; and sisters-in-law Nancy Dressler and Mavis Howard. And last but not least, her dogs, Beau and Ty.

She is survived by her children Stephen Howard (Robin), Paul Howard and Jill Piscazzi (Rocco); her sister Doris Schofield (Robert) of Hampton, NJ; sister-in-law Joan Holtz of Reno, NV; grandchildren Jacob Howard (Shelby), Casey Howard and Leila Piscazzi; and numerous nieces and nephews.

The family would like to thank Lindsey Foradis, CNP for her years of dedicated and compassionate care, as well as the ER and ICU medical and nursing staff at Western Reserve Hospital and Hospice for their exceptional and empathetic care.

The funeral will be held Friday August 16th at 10:30 AM at Ciriello and Carr Funeral Home, 39 S. Miller Rd. Fairlawn, OH 44333, with calling one hour prior to service. Interment will follow at Rose Hill Burial Park.

If so inclined, donations may be made in Kathy’s name to a charity of your choosing.

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