Obituaries Announcements
A celebration of life service for Alice Carleen Howieson, of Lawrence, formerly of Horton, will be Saturday afternoon, July 24, at 2:00 at the Zion Lutheran Church, north of Everest.
Carleen died peacefully at home February 25, 2020.
Carleen was the only child born to Henry Benjamin Jacobson and Bergit Olivia Olsen Jacobson, February 1, 1928, in Horton, Kansas. She graduated from Horton High School in 1946, attended Lindenwood College, and graduated from the University of Kansas in 1951 with a degree in Education. She married John Howieson in 1952. They later divorced.
Growing up on the family farm near Horton, Kansas, Carleen developed a life long love of horses, cats and the land. After college, she became a stewardess for Braniff Airlines and traveled the world. Her quest for travel whether for pleasure or education remained throughout life. Working as a design and sales consultant for Nelly Don Clothing, Carleen would share the latest dress designs with her cousins. For many years, Carleen was a highly respected employee of the Starlite dining room of the prestigious Kansas City Club.
After her mother’s death in 1969, she moved back to Horton to live and care for her father until his death in 1972. Carleen’s passion for reading and books led her to become the Horton City Librarian. Her love of books carried over to the children of her cousins and friends through the gifting of many treasured books when they were young. These have been cherished and saved for future generations. Carleen’s interest in history led her to serve on the board of the Brown County Historical Society for five years. The big city was calling her back, so she built a house and moved to Lawrence, Kansas in 1996. There she enjoyed taking horseback riding lessons on her horse Coco, adopting stray cats, and attending cultural events. She volunteered at the Lawrence Public Library and served as the library committee chair of the Unitarian Fellowship of Lawrence.
Carleen was passionate about positive change involving herself in community activism including the Lawrence Coalition for Peace and Justice and the Lawrence Living Wage Alliance. She remained a firm and devout believer in individual rights and responsibilities to the end.
Carleen leaves behind many cousins and friends to cherish her memory. She is grateful for the many caregivers and her special cousin Marcella Jacobsen Holliday who made it possible for her to stay in her home the last few years.