Mary Keenan Howell

Mary Keenan Howell, 97, of Bluffton, SC passed away on Sunday, May 23, 2010, at home surrounded by her family.She was born on May 14, 1913 in Brooklyn, NY, the second of 8 children and oldest daughter of the late Bernard A. and Margaret Kane Keenan.She was the wife of the late William H. Howell, Jr., who predeceased her in 1992. From the time of her marriage in 1936, she resided in Plattsburgh, NY and supported her husband in the operation of the landmark Witherill Hotel, family owned and operated since 1882, until its closing in 1968. She was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother and was active in many local charitable and civic organizations in Plattsburgh.Four siblings predeceased her: Bernard A. Keenan, Jr., Margaret A. Connor, John W. Keenan and Alice Regina Keenan.She is survived by daughters, Susan Howell Hamlin of Elmira, NY and Mary R. (Bonnie) Howell of Bluffton, SC, with whom she resided, granddaughters: Lisa H. (Craig) Cundy, Horseheads, NY, Amie F. Hamlin, Ithaca, NY and Julie H. (John) Luther of Franklin, MA, five great-grandchildren, Kyle and Blair Cundy, Emily and Duncan Luther, and Meara Hamlin.Also surviving are siblings: F.X. Keenan (Louisville, KY), T. Patricia McGuire (Silver Spring, MD), Thomas E. Keenan (Hollywood, FL) and numerous nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews. The Funeral Mass will be celebrated at Saint Gregory the Great Catholic Church, 333 Fording Island Rd., Bluffton, SC at 11:00 am, Wednesday, June 2, 2010. The family requests that memorial donations be made to Hospice Care of the Lowcountry, 119 Palmetto Way, P.O Box 3827, Bluffton, SC 29910, or to a charity of one