Alice F. (DeCouto) Howard, age 92, of North Easton, passed away peacefully, September 11, 2016, following a brief illness. She was the wife of the late Roy L. Howard, Jr. Alice was born in North Easton, daughter of the late Anthony and Virginia (Carreiro) DeCouto. After graduating from Oliver Ames High School, she obtained a job at Camp Myles Standish in Taunton. When they closed, she worked at the South Boston Army Base B.P.O.E. (Boston Port of Embarkation) during World War II. This was quite a change for a “small town” girl who had never been to Boston, the big city. She loved working there and it was quite an experience.
For many years, Alice was a secretary for the associate academic dean of the Continuing Education Department at Stonehill College; retiring in 1986. Upon retiring she traveled extensively with her husband in the United States and around Europe, including Fatima, Portugal; Rome, Italy; Switzerland, and Yugoslavia. She loved to read (especially Westerns), entered numerous contests and even won a few. She was an avid supporter of the Roman Catholic faith, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and a devoted lifetime communicant of the Immaculate Conception Church. She was a frequent lector and a Eucharistic minister. In her younger days she was a proud member of the church choir, and had a penchant for acting—she was in her Senior Class Play and performed in many minstrel shows.
Alice was totally committed to her family. She was the mother of David, Jane, William and his wife Marguerite, and the late James F. Howard, Esq; grandmother of six and great grandmother of five; sister of the late Virginia Rogers, and Francis, Arthur, Herbert and James DeCouto. She is also survived by many nieces, nephews, life-long friends, and very loyal neighbors.
Visiting Hours will be held in the Conley Funeral Home, 138 Belmont Street (Rte 123) Brockton, Thursday 5-8pm. The funeral procession will gather at the funeral home Friday at 9am for a funeral Mass in Immaculate Conception Church, North Easton at 10am. Burial in Immaculate Conception Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Immaculate Conception Church, 193 Main St., N. Easton, MA 02356 or Catholic Charities of Fall River, 189 Wellington St., Fall River, MA 02720.