February 3, 1923 –

September 12, 2012

Vernice C. Howell, 89, of Bainbridge, passed away Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2012, at her residence.

The funeral service will be held at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 13, 2012, at First Baptist Church, with Rev. Paul Medley and Rev. Jean Watson officiating, and will conclude at the church. Interment will be held at West Bainbridge Cemetery, with Darrell Copeland, George Copeland, Horace Copeland Jr. and Sidney Copeland serving as active pallbearers.

The family will receive friends immediately following the service.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to First Baptist Church Building Fund, P. O. Box 155, Bainbridge, GA 39818, the Bainbridge-Decatur County Humane Society, P. O. Box 429, Bainbridge, GA 39818, Bainbridge High School Scholarship Fund, 1 Bearcat Blvd, Bainbridge, GA 39819 or to the charity of your choice.

Mrs. Howell was born Feb. 3, 1923, in Decatur County, the daughter of William Henry Copeland and Mary Elizabeth Faircloth Copeland. She was a graduate of West Bainbridge High School, Class of 1939, attended Georgia Southern University and was a graduate of Abraham Baldwin Agriculture College. Mrs. Howell was a clerk for the U.S. Postal Service, retiring with more than 35 years of service. She was an ammunition inspector for Miller Hydro during World War II and worked as a teacher in Seminole County. She was a member of West Bainbridge High School Alumni Association, the American Legion Auxiliary, the Ladies Auxiliary VFW Post #4904, the Memorial Hospital and Manor Auxiliary, and was a past president of the Bainbridge Pilot Club. Mrs. Howell served on the Bainbridge Housing Authority and she was a member of West Bainbridge Baptist Church.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 35 years, Neil Franklin Howell; her son, Sam Howell; her brothers, Earl Copeland, Horace Copeland, Preston Copeland and Louis Copeland; and her sisters, Thelma Bruce and Edna Tedder.

Survivors include her son, Tommie Howell and his wife, Amy, of Bainbridge; her daughter, Carol Lewis and her husband, Chuck, of Bainbridge; her grandsons, Bryce Howell and Brock Gannon Howell, both of Bainbridge; her step-granddaughter, Misty and her husband, Scott Brown, of Bainbridge; and her step-great-grandson, Austin Rowe.

Ivey Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.