Obituary of Evelyn Howard

Evelyn Howard, 88, of Newbury Park, CA passed away in her home following a long illness on July 13, 2020. Throughout her illness and her final days, she was surrounded by her family. The youngest of six surviving children, Evelyn was born to the late Hyman and Ida Katz, November 20, 1931 in Chicago Illinois. In 1951, she and her former spouse, Sheldon Howard, moved to California to start their lives together and raise a family. Subscribing to the saying "Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life,” Evelyn manned the switchboard at Los Robles Hospital for 47 years. She loved her job, and the lifelong co-workers who were more like family. Everyone loved Evelyn for her kindness and generosity. Working in the hospital, she met many people who were in need, and Evelyn tried her best to help them. She made many friends by opening her heart and home to them, and thought of strangers as friends she hadn't met yet. She loved to feed people, whether it was taking "goodies" to the nurses' station or through her many years of volunteering countless hours at Manna of the Conejo. She was a recipient of the Frist Humanitarian Award, given for demonstrating caring that goes beyond everyday kindness to those in need. Evelyn is survived by her five daughters: Iris Howard, of Long Beach; Judi (Ellis) James of Camarillo; Beth (Rene) Luteraan of North Hollywood; Debbie (David) Puente of Thousand Oaks; and Jo Howard of Ketchum, Idaho; her sister, friend and roommate Dorothy, who passed away on August 23rd; her grandchildren Joey, Steven (Kati), and Cole Puente; Alec and Aria James; and Kylie and Juliana Luteraan; her former husband and good friend Sheldon Howard; and her dear girlfriend, Ann Reilly. She also is survived by her nieces, nephews, and cousins. She was preceded by her parents, Hyman and Ida Katz; her sisters Shirley Mastin, Rebecca Leving and Pearl Marks; and her brother Seymour Katz. As per her wishes, Evelyn was cremated and her ashes will be laid to rest with her parents at Waldheim Cemetery in Forest Park, Illinois at a future date. Because of the pandemic, a celebration of Evelyn's life will also be held at a later date. She was beloved, and will be missed by many.