Beloved wife, mom, sister, aunt and friend, Rebecca Doll Howes, age 76, of The Villages, Florida, sadly left us on October 31, 2024, due to complications of ALS.
She will be dearly missed by her husband Michael Howes; daughter, Sarah Howes; brother, Bill Doll; nieces, Mindy (Dave) Kaiser, Brittney Doll, and Katie Doll; nephews, Jordan (Breanna) and Koen Kaiser, Keane and Kaden Hauck; her sister-in-law, Elaine Mitchell; brother-in-law, Mitchell Howes; her niece, Jill Cooper; her nephew, Jeff Walters; her “second” daughters, Shenan (Chris) Smith, Amanda (Richard) Ortiz, and Kelsey (Shawn) Scovel; her closest friends, Lynda (Ron) Ratliff and Ronnie (Michael) Schmucker, Carol (Bob) Mullinax, as well as numerous relatives and friends.
She was predeceased by her parents, Charles William “Bill” and Louise Doll; brother, Steve Doll; sister, Sally Doll; nephew, Canaan Hauck; father and mother-in-law, Howard and Evelyn Howes; as well as her niece, Beth Hudgens.
Becky was a 1966 graduate of Troy High School and earned an Undergraduate degree in Journalism, and Master’s degree in Communications, while working for “The Lantern” newsroom at The Ohio State University. She began her career with the State of Ohio in the Gilligan Administration in 1971, before taking on her role as the Director of Communications for the Ohio State Medical Association in 1975. She then co-founded the marketing and research business Market Group One in 1985, working with Fortune 500 companies and traveling the country leading seminars in the marketing field. After leaving that company, she took some time off to devote herself to her daughter before completing additional course work in teaching to earn her certification in Education. She thoroughly enjoyed a “retirement job” teaching language arts at Watkins Middle School in Pataskala, Ohio for ten years, before officially retiring in 2016.
Becky was known for her quick wit, generous spirit, and strong will. She cherished family seafood potlucks in Troy, and spent many nights playing Trivial Pursuit with them. She loved playing Mahjong and Samba with her friends in Florida. She was a member of the Porsche Club of Ohio, and spent more than 25 years at Highlands Golf Club. She enjoyed playing golf, swimming, reading, and gardening, and had a profound love for animals and nature. She loved to spend time house-boating on Lake Cumberland, and traveled internationally to China, Scotland, Egypt, Italy, fishing in Canada, and Mexico, as well as multiple states throughout the US. While some of her favorite trips were fishing with her husband and daughter in Canada, camping in the black hills of South Dakota, cruising in Alaska, and lounging on the white shores of Hawaii, she finally decided to settle in The Villages, Florida close to some of her favorite places, sipping Bloody Marys on the beach.
Respecting Becky’s wishes, formal memorial services will not be held; the family will host a celebration of life for her at a later date. She will be laid to rest with her favorite dog “Maddie” in the Doll family plot at Riverside Cemetery in Troy, Ohio.