Melrose resident vacationed on Winnepesaukee
MELROSE — Virginia “Ginny” Howe, 98, a longtime resident of Melrose, passed away on Aug. 20, 2023.
Ginny was the wife of the late Donald R. Howe. She was the mother of Valerie Dearth and her husband, Robert, of Lynnfield; Brad Howe and his wife, Cheryl, of Wilsonville, Oregon; and the late Beverly Rattray and her late husband, Don. She was the sister of the late Roger Cuthbertson.
Virginia was grandmother to Kimberly Quan and her husband, Fred, of Melrose; Zachary Dearth and his wife, Joanna, of Lynnfield; Jacqueline Howe; Kaitlyn Howe; and the late Nigel Howe of Wilsonville, Oregon. She was a great-grandmother of Julian Quan, Peter Dearth and Arnold Dearth.
Ginny was born June 7, 1925, and was the daughter of the late Laurence and Gertrude Cuthbertson.
She graduated from Melrose High School in 1943 and went on to The Kathleen Dell School in Boston. In 1946, she married the love of her life, Donald Howe, upon his return from the Navy. She enjoyed many summer vacations at Lake Winnepesaukee, and enjoyed boating with family and friends.
Before raising her family, she worked for Friend Bros. As her children grew older, she returned to the workforce initially at Hult Studios, then the Melrose Free Press. She retired from the DonWell Company in Stoneham. In her retirement, she volunteered at the Melrose-Wakefield Hospital, where she proudly earned her 500 Hour Pin.
Ginny cherished her long relationship with the Melrose Highlands Congregational Church, having joined the church when she moved to Melrose. She and Don participated in couples club events, where she made many lifelong friends. More recently, she enjoyed many outings with the Lunch Bunch and helping out with the church fair.
Above all, she treasured spending time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, getting great joy as she followed their lives.
Relatives and friends gathered for visiting hours at the Robinson Funeral Home, 809 Main St, Melrose, and for her funeral service at the Melrose Highlands Congregational Church, 355 Franklin St, Melrose, on Friday, Aug. 25, 2023. Interment took place in Puritan Lawn Memorial Park, Peabody.
If people wish, donations in Ginny’s memory can be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or to the Home for Little Wanderers, 10 Guest St., Boston MA 02135.
To sign an online tribute, visit www.RobinsonFuneralHome.com.