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Avis Yvonne Howe, 86, of rural Northwest Perkins County, SD, passed away peacefully at her home with family all around her on Tuesday, April 7, 2026.

A visitation will be held at Hettinger Lutheran Church Friday evening, May 1, 2026 from 5-7 p.m. for friends and family.  The funeral service will be Saturday, May 2, at 10:30 a.m. at Hettinger Lutheran Church.  Burial will follow at the Hettinger Cemetery.

Avis Yvonne Howe was born April 13, 1939, in Adams County, North Dakota, to Floyd and Sylvia Howe. She died just a few days before her 87th birthday.

Avis attended elementary and middle school at the local country school and high school in Hettinger, ND, graduating in 1956. Avis received her bachelor's degree in mathematics at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, SD.  Avis's first teaching position was in Des Moines, Iowa. She later moved to Aurora, Colorado and taught there until her retirement in 1990. Many family and friends enjoyed spending time in Colorado with Avis. After retirement, Avis returned to the farm. She helped care for the family home and was Sylvia's best friend after Floyd died in 1993.

Back on the farm, Avis started living the farming and ranching life again.  She did the farm books as well as all the cattle numbers.  She enjoyed working cattle with the guys, keeping the atmosphere light, often giving the vet a hard time every time a cow came up open.  She hauled anhydrous tanks during spring's work and learned to run a combine during harvest.  Late nights didn't bother Avis, so she always took the midnight and 3:00 am cow check shifts.  If there was a problem, she would get one of the guys out of bed and would help him deal with it.

Avis was the glue to the family on the farm; she became a second mother to the Alaska Howe boys who began working on the farm in 2000.  She became known at this time not for teaching, but for making lunches, doing the family laundry and cooking all the meals for the family.  Many people hoped to be on the Howe Farm during mealtime for her good home cooked meals.

Avis enjoyed many hobbies in her adult life including cards, music, volunteering, and travel. Avis was a devoted bridge player and even after moving back to the family farm, made monthly trips to Colorado for her bridge club.  She also played weekly in Hettinger where she had a good group of friends. Pinochle was the game of choice at the farm. Many family members are hoping she left her lucky hands to one of them.

Her love of music started as a young girl playing piano. Later she played flute in high school and college. Avis often led the family in holiday favorites and hymns when they gathered, as well as introducing the family to old musicals which they all still enjoy.

Avis never turned down a trip whether local or international. Her journeys took her across the lower 48, to Alaska, and internationally visiting Norway, Scotland, UK, Greece, Peru, Africa, and the Panama Canal.  She and Sylvia also traveled together in a motorhome around the Dakotas and nearby states with three cats, enjoying the country she loved and bringing joy to Sylvia's golden years.

Giving back to others and preserving history was an important part of Avis's life. She volunteered at the Molly Brown House as well as the Museum of Toys and Miniatures in the Denver area.  She and Sylvia were successful in adding Golden Valley Lutheran Church to the National Historic Register.  Avis was a faithful member of Hettinger Lutheran Church and a member of the Gloria Dei women's Bible study group. Dear to her heart was the Badlands Lutheran Ministries in Medora, ND. The Fall Event, to support the Bible camp,  will not be the same without her bidding on quilts and other treasures.

Avis' health deteriorated and in 2021 she could no longer live at home alone.  She had many caregivers who came and helped her a couple of times a week.  She greatly appreciated this because their help gave her more years in her home on the farm.  Avis eventually moved into Western Horizons Assisted Living in Hettinger and later moved down to Clarkson Health Care Retirement home in Rapid City where she received excellent care.  Avis had many medical issues but always bounced back with a smile and said she was ready to go home to the farm, even when that was far from the truth.  Her heart was truly on the farm where she was born and raised.

Avis never married but loved her family and valued the time spent with her parents, siblings, nieces, and nephews. Avis's faithful companion for the last 19 years was her cat "Oliver" who brought Avis much happiness and was an important part of her life.  Avis maintained her sharp mind and quick wit to the very end.

Avis passed away peacefully at home as she looked out the window at the North Grand River and rolling buttes that were a staple in her life. Family surrounded her praying and singing hymns, with "Oliver" purring softly on her lap.

Avis was preceded in death by her two older brothers Bruce and Jimmy Howe. Surviving is her brother David Howe and wife Charlene, and many (3 generations) of nieces and nephews.

Donations can be made in remembrance of Avis to:

-Badlands Lutheran Ministries: https://www.badlandsministries.org/

-Hettinger Lutheran Church at 904 Second Ave. South, Hettinger, ND  58639