Mike Howell, 52, of Fitzgerald, Georgia, died Friday, March 2, 2018, at his residence after a courageous battle with cancer.
Funeral services will be held 4 PM, Monday, March 5, 2018, at The Paulk Funeral Home Chapel in Fitzgerald, with the Rev. Dr. Lloyd Stembridge officiating. Interment will follow in Arbor Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 6-8 Sunday evening at the funeral home in Fitzgerald.
Mike was born December 26, 1965, in Tifton, Georgia to Jesse Jackson Howell, Jr. & Carol Green Howell. He was a 1984 graduate of Fitzgerald High School and earned his Bachelors degree in Business from Valdosta State College in 1992. He was an agent with Georgia Farm Bureau in Jeff Davis County and Dodge County. He also worked as a personal banker with Bank of America, now Ameris Bank as well as Wachovia, now Wells Fargo. Mike was an avid supporter of his sons in their athletic endeavors and was a faithful attender of baseball and football games, even while undergoing radiation treatments. He was a member of Arbor Baptist Church.
He is survived by his wife of 25 years, Stephanie Schappaugh Howell of Fitzgerald; their two sons: David Allen Howell of Tifton and Matthew Clayton Howell of Fitzgerald; his parents, Jesse & Carol Howell of Fitzgerald; a brother, Tommy & Lyn Howell of Fitzgerald; a sister, Melinda & Robert Chambless of Sylvester; as well as many uncles, aunts, cousins, nieces and nephews. Mike was preceded in death by his grandparents, Jesse & Mary Ella Howell and Tom & Mildred Green.
The family suggests those desiring to send memorials may send them to the American Diabetes Association, Georgia Chapter, 233 Peachtree Street NE, Harris Tower, Suite 2225, Atlanta, Georgia, 30303 or to the American Cancer Society, Ben Hill County Relay for Life, c/o Marci Cleghorn, P.O. Box 130, Fitzgerald, GA 31750.