Laura Cecile Howard

Laura Cecile Howard, 88, of Lusby, MD, went peacefully home to be with the Lord on August 18, 2025. She was born at home in Sudley, Md on May 1, 1937 and was the youngest child of Laura (Sears) and Melvin Phipps.

She attended Fairview Elementary School from 1st to 6th grade, then middle and high school in Prince Frederick. She didn’t graduate from high school but later earned her GED. In 1954 at the age of 16 she married Scotty Stoneman and in 1956 their daughter, Sandy, was born. They were later divorced.

She was employed by National Geographic Magazine where she worked in the financial division, dealing primarily with memberships, subscriptions, and book sales.

She met her husband Malcolm, at a dance at Hotel Charles in Hughesville in 1961. They were married April 6, 1962, and in 1964 their son, Malcolm Jr. was born. They made their home in Owings, and in 1999 moved to their farm in West Virginia.

She loved sports and was an outstanding softball player. She played on numerous teams through the years, most notably in West Virginia where she played on a team composed of college aged women when she was in her ‘50’s. She most often played first base. She seldom missed a ball game on TV, but in later years really loved going to games and watching family members play.

She was happiest when working on the farm and tending the animals. She was always ready to help with any task, and didn’t think twice about climbing up on the barn to help put on a new roof.

She enjoyed playing cards with family and friends, mostly 500 Rummy and Pitch.

She loved country and bluegrass music, and enjoyed going to watch her friends and family members perform.

She loved being in the mountains, the years that she and Malcolm spent together on the farm in West Virginia were happy times. She and Malcolm traveled all over the country together and she was always the navigator. Together they covered a lot of wonderful miles with the road atlas on her lap.

She was a truly devoted daughter, giving tender and unfailing care to her own mother in her final years.

She loved her family. Her husband Malcolm, her children, grandchildren, and her 2 great-grandsons were truly her joy. Most importantly, she loved the Lord Jesus Christ and knew Him as her personal Savior. She was a member of Christian Fellowship Church in Buckhannon, W.Va.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her brother William Melvin Phipps, Jr. (Pete), and her sisters Mary Virginia Sears, Emily Mae Dake, and Margaret Alverta Johnson.

She leaves behind her loving and devoted husband of 63 years, Malcolm; her son Malcolm, Jr. and his wife Shirley; her daughter Sandy (Stoneman) Humphreys and her husband Tim; her granddaughter Jacqueline “J.C.” (Humphreys) Tammaro and her husband Michael; her grandson Timothy Scott Humphreys; and her two great-grandsons Jacob and Paul Tammaro.