Esther Howard

Mary was born in Blaine, Kentucky on May 19, 1936. She passed peacefully on November 7, 2026 in London, Ohio. 

Mary Esther Howard (Wheeler) loved having people around. Whether you were family, a friend, or someone she had just met, she wanted to make sure you had what you needed—and probably something to eat.

She loved to cook. Her grandsons, Billy and Alex, will always remember breakfasts of bacon, biscuits and gravy, dinners of beans, cornbread, and pork chops, and sitting on her back patio shucking corn and stringing beans from her garden.

Growing up, Billy and Alex spent much of their summers at Grandma’s while their parents worked. They often stayed several nights at a time, and their friends were always welcome. She made sure everyone was fed and got to practices, games, and wherever else they needed to be. She never wanted anyone to feel left out.

Mary spent her Sundays in church, originally attending Southwest Freewill Baptist. She put others first, but she was also independent and stubborn. She was still mowing her own grass in her seventies and liked doing things for herself.

She was preceded in death by her first husband, Willis Fyffe; her second husband, Autie Howard; her daughter, Guinevere Hollis (Fyffe), wife of Steven Hollis; her mother, Cynthia Cordle Wheeler; and her father, Orville Wheeler. She is survived by her grandsons, Billy Hollis and Alex Hollis.

Her grandsons will miss her cooking, her company, and knowing they could always come to Grandma’s.

Family will receive friends and loved ones on Monday, November 23, 2026, from 5:00PM to 7:00PM at Newcomer Funeral Home, SW Chapel, 3393 Broadway, Grove City, Ohio 43123 (614) 539-6166. A funeral service will be held at 10:00AM, Tuesday, November 24, 2026 at the funeral home. Interment will follow at Sunset Cemetery, 6959 W. Broad St. Galloway, Ohio 43119.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Mary’s memory to the Magical Moments Foundation.