Eva Claire Howland

Eva Claire Howland, age 88, of Austell, GA passed away on Sunday, December 31, 2023. She will be buried at 1pm on Wednesday, January 10, 2024 at Bowman Rector Cemetery in Marshall, NC. West Cobb Funeral Home and Crematory in Marietta, GA is in charge of arrangements.

Eva Claire Howland was born December 22, 1936 to Ray and Aurelia Howland in LaGrange, Georgia. Her father Ray was a Presbyterian minister and in 1939 when he received a call to Marshall Presbyterian Church in Marshall, North Carolina, Eva Claire moved with her parents and big brother Ray Jr. to Marshall.

Eva Claire and Ray Jr. enjoyed an idyllic childhood in the small mountain town of Marshall, on the French Broad River. They attended school on an island in the river, and while other kids in other towns enjoyed “snow days,” Eva Claire and Ray Jr. occasionally stayed home for “flood days.” The family was in Marshall from 1939 to 1951.

Eva Claire left the family in Marshall to attend the Ercildoun School for Girls in Ercildoun, Pennsylvania, a tiny Quaker village between Lancaster and Philadelphia. It was during her time as a student at Ercildoun that the family moved again, to Ebensburg, Pennsylvania. Rev. Howland was minister at Colver Presbyterian Church from 1951 to 1956.

In 1956 the family moved to Clifton, Virginia, when Rev. Howland became minister at the Presbyterian Church there. The family lived in a house close to the church until Rev. Howland passed away in 1960. By that time Ray Jr. had married and moved to Ithaca, New York, so Eva Claire and her mother moved together from Clifton to nearby Fairfax. Mrs. Howland was a teacher and later principal in the Fairfax County school system, and Eva Claire joined the dietary staff at a local hospital.

Eva Claire and her mother Aurelia were together and inseparable for the rest of their lives. They traveled to Europe, China, and the Middle East together, including a visit to England to the hometown of Eva Claire’s Mayflower ancestor John Howland. She was a proud member of The Society of Mayflower Descendants. In the early 1990s they moved to Atlanta to be closer to Ray Jr., and after a few years to Presbyterian Village in Austell, Georgia. Mrs. Howland passed away in 2008.

Eva Claire had love in her heart for all she met. She also loved cats and her local sports teams—the demise of the Washington Senators baseball team and the transference of loyalty from the Redskins to the Falcons and Braves were challenging times for her! She had a remarkable memory for sports data and statistics, as well as family history and dates. She was always the most reliable authority on birthdays, anniversaries, and other dates for her very large extended family. 

Eva Claire was an RH Negative baby and suffered significant brain damage at birth. The parents were advised to place the baby in an institution where she could be kept comfortable for what would be a very short life. That Eva Claire graduated from high school, had a long career that she enjoyed immensely, travelled the world, and lived to the age of 88 is a testament not only to her strong character and heart, but to the support and love she enjoyed from her parents, her extended family and her large circle of friends.

Eva Claire is reunited with her parents and brother, and she is survived by nephews, great-nieces and -nephews, two great-great-nephews, and a multitude of cousins.