Mrs. Howard, 91, died Feb. 11, 2002, at Beverly Health Care. She was born in Lincoln County on Aug. 1, 1910, to Alanzo Avants and Bessie Brabham Avants.

She was retired from Kellwood Manufacturing Company in McComb. She was a member of Pleasant Hill Baptist Church.

Preceding her in death were her parents; her stepmother, Louvenia Burns Avants; her husband, Jess Howard; her daughter, Audie Adell Howard; her sister, Lanell Avants Smith; her brother, Eston Avants; and her grandson, James Troy Douglas.

Survivors are her son, Dorris Howard of Bogue Chitto; her daughters, Joyce Nell Reeves of Bogue Chitto and Ruby Dell Douglas of Wesson; her half brothers, Tommy Lee Avants of Bogue Chitto and James Avants of Ferriday, La.; her half sisters, Jo Pearl Allen of Jackson and Aline Porter of Bogue Chitto; and 13 grandchildren, 28 great-grandchildren, six step-great-grandchildren, and four great-great-grandchildren.