Judith Claybourn Howard (1933-2007)

Judith Mae Claybourn ("Judy") was born in Evansville, Ind., to William R. Claybourn and Colice Lorene Piper. She graduated with honors from Reitz High School in 1950, at the age of 17. Her senior class members voted her the "wittiest in the class." She won one of eight scholarships in the state offered to students in Vanderburgh County on the basis of competitive examinations, which she used to attend Indiana State University. There, at ISU, she met her college beau, Donald L. Howard (born November 16, 1930), and on May 6, 1951, the two married in Attica, Indiana. Roughly a year later, in 1952, Don entered the U.S. Navy and would retire at the rank of Captain.

Judy spent three decades following her Navy sailor around the globe settling in many home ports within the States, Hawaii and Japan. She truly enjoyed the life of a Navy wife even with all of its hardships of family separation and raising the children on her own. During these Navy days she also found time to be a volunteer to The Navy Relief Society for counseling young Navy families in budgeting their household expenses.

She became a great hostess at an early stage and was considered an excellent cook by all her friends. Her friends thought of her as having a number of traits, including enjoyment of reading any book she could get her hands on, doing crossword puzzles in ink and a talent at sewing with some of her own design changes. She particularly loved to study the history of the Civil War (War Between the States) and considered herself an expert on the subject. She especially enjoyed studying the Civil War history of her great-grandfather James Harrison Claybourn.

Don Howard offering a toast of Irish Whiskey at Judy's interment in Arlington. The drink was Judy's favorite.

Only after 30 various moves over the years of being a "Navy wife," she was heard to say "it is time to move." She has sustained her witty personality throughout her lifetime that has been a blessing to family and friends.

In 1982, as Don was ending his Navy career, Judy graduated from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va., with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration and accounting. With her B.S. in hand, she pursued a brief career in managing finances for military contracts "just for the fun of it."

During the last ten years of her life Judy was a member of Bruton Parish Episcopal Church, where she served as a Bruton Parish guide. She very much enjoyed sharing the church's rich history with guests visiting the church. She got a lot of pleasure in meeting people from all walks of life to not only tell them about the church but to swap a few good stories. She was an Annual Volunteer Tax Preparer for the local AARP project to help low-income and elderly taxpayers. She was also a long time member of the National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), Adam Thoroughgood Chapter, Virginia Beach, Va. She was a family member of the Claybourn Genealogical Society.

Judy died at the age of 74 on October 17, 2007, surrounded by family after a long courageous battle with lung cancer. Judy and Don's only son, William Claybourn Howard, preceded them in death in 2005. At the time of her death Judy and Don had been married for 56 years. Her funeral was held on October 20th, at Bruton Parish Church with the Rev. Molly Turner officiating. Interment was held on November 28th in the Arlington National Cemetery; images of the interment are below.

Descendants

Judy was survived by a daughter, Piper McLawhorn, her husband, Barry; granddaughter, Amanda, and great-granddaughter, Aubrey, all of Williamsburg; grandson, Rob Howard and his wife, Anita; and great-grandsons, Jaden and Landon of Kill Devil Hills, N.C.