HOWARD Brenda Faye Howard of London Ohio passed away at Mt Carmel West Hospital, Sunday January 28, 2018, at the age of 76. Born Faye Sammons, after entering high school in Martin, Kentucky; she added Brenda to the front of her name after the singer Brenda Lee because everyone else had three names and she only had two. (Everyone from Kentucky needs two first names). Jobs were scarce in the small coal town she grew up in, so as a teenager Brenda spent her summers in Middletown, Ohio; living with an older sister where she worked as a car hop at the Hasty Tasty. The drive-in is where she met her husband, Curtis Howard, and for the next 58 ½ years; they raised five sons and worked together every day in farming and operating their farm equipment business which they started together in 1969 in London, Ohio. In the course of business Brenda traveled extensively with her husband and made lasting friends with people from all over the United States. It's been said that she never had an enemy and was liked and adored by all she ever met. This trait, undoubtedly, lent to her building a very successful Longaberger Basket business which she operated independently of her many other responsibilities. Her husband drove the semi truck, loaded with farm equipment, and Brenda filled the sleeper with baskets she had sold to people all over the country. Her extensive Longaberger Basket collection remains one of the largest in the nation and was a source of great pride and joy throughout her later years. Brenda served as a volunteer for the Madison County Democratic Party for many years and hosted various events and fundraisers. If you ever made the mistake of calling her a "Bleeding Heart Liberal", she would school you on being born into poverty and working 80 plus hours a week in the greatest nation on earth to rise up and make something of yourself. When she was done, you would love her and admire her even if you disagreed with her. She was a member of the Madison County Herb Society and the Red Hat Society. She collected and restored antiques and frequented auctions and trade shows where she would buy, sell and trade collectibles. A dedicated wife and business partner of 58 years, a loving mother and caregiver to five sons, a rock and a friend to so many relatives, friends and acquaintances, an entrepreneur on the side because 60 to 80 hours a week in the family business just was not enough. An enduring example of the American dream, born on a dirt floor in a log cabin in Drift, Kentucky; she lived, worked and loved with more passion and perseverance than her coal mining father (who was also a minister) and her mother could have ever hoped or prayed for. Twice a cancer survivor, she lived with sugar diabetes and Parkinson's Disease for decades. She outlived doctor's who thought she would never see her 60th birthday. The fiercest fighter, because she wanted to be here in the event that her family and friends needed something, or anything, the greatest wife and mother because she believed that marriage is a lifelong commitment to overcoming adversity, sickness, setbacks and the struggle that we call life. The greatest friend who could track inventory, balance the checkbook, deal with customers, console her children, cook supper and do the laundry... all while talking to you on the phone and making you feel like the most important, and valuable person in her life at that moment. The greatest example of Christ on Earth because she made time to visit the sick, help those less fortunate and forgive any wrong ever perpetrated against her. Brenda is survived by her husband, Curtis C. Howard and her children Curtis Howard Jr., Dale Howard, Mark (and Patty) Howard, Keith (and Barb) Howard and Shawn (and Susan) Howard, 10 grand children and 12 great grandchildren, her sisters Mary Ruth "Bump" Howard, Sylvia "Sib" Smith, Patty Campbell, Judy McGeorge, her brother Stanley Sammons and scores of nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her father Ollie Sammons, her mother Zonie (McGuire) Sammons and her siblings Stella Marie Sammons, Kathleen (Joy) Mollett and John Paul Sammons. Visitation for family and friends will be Tuesday, January 30th from 1 to 7PM at "Maple Villa" (Brenda's beloved second home) at 380 Old US 42 SE London, Ohio. Funeral Service will be at 1:30 PM on Wednesday January 31st at the same location with interment to follow at Deercreek Township Cemetery in Lafayette, Ohio. The family request that in lieu of flowers that you would donate to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. You can donate online or by making your check payable to the Michael J. Fox Foundation and mailing to 275 West High Street London Ohio 43140 or simply leaving it at the box provided at the guest registry. The family is being served by the EBERLE-FISHER FUNERAL HOME AND CREMATORY, 103 N. Main St, London, where online condolences for the family may be sent to www.eberlefisherfuneralhome.com. Funeral Date: 2018-01-31