Obituary for Wanda Kunkle Howell
Wanda Kunkle Howell, 88, passed away at her beloved horse farm in West Amwell, NJ on Sunday November 28, 2021 surrounded by her family and treasured aide, Mercy. Known by all as a leader, Wanda was driven by two passions: musicianship and her horses.
A superb vocalist and violinist, she was a 1956 graduate of NJ State Teachers College (The College of New Jersey) with a BS in Music Education, where she was Concertmaster of the orchestra and a frequent
choir soloist. She also earned a Master’s Degree in Choral Conducting from TCNJ in 1966. As an annual Alumni Weekend organizer as well as founder and first President of the TCNJ Music Alumni Association, Wanda was honored for 40 years of alumni leadership with the college’s Distinguished Service Award in 2012.
Wanda introduced generations of junior high and middle school students to the joys of music performance during her 37-year career as a choral director with the Ewing Township Public Schools. She passed her lifelong love of music and theatre to her grandsons, Andrew and Greg Redlawsk, who credit her with actively supporting their musical and performance development.
Wanda was a life-long lover of horses. While she never had one as a child, she followed her dreams in 1969 and independently purchased a beautiful parcel of land in West Amwell on which she oversaw construction of a house, barn, and paddocks, creating her working horse farm and retreat.
She became active with the Delaware Valley Horsemen’s Association (DVHA) in 1966, and was awarded with an honorary life membership after having served in numerous leadership roles and serving as President from
1982-1986. Long-time members will recall her key role in the 1969 purchase of the “new” show grounds in Sergeantsville, NJ, which is still the center of DVHA life today.
Some of Wanda’s other activities included serving as a Music Therapy Volunteer at Little Hill-Alina Lodge, Blairstown, NJ, Vocal Soloist at numerous local churches, and as a volunteer Lay Chaplain at Doylestown
Hospital. She was a member of Abiding Presence Lutheran Church in Pennington, NJ.
Born in Lancaster, PA, Wanda grew up in Margate, NJ, graduating from Atlantic City Friends School. She was the daughter of the late George C.T. Kunkle and Wanda Mikulski Kunkle. She was the widow of Welling C.
(“Doc”) Howell, VMD, and was previously married to George Bruce Morgan. In addition to her grandsons, Wanda is survived by her daughter Aletia Morgan and son-in-law David Redlawsk of Newark, DE, and sister
Kazmira Heinbaugh of Warminster, PA.
A Celebration of Wanda Howell's presence in our lives will be held at 2pm on Sunday, December 19, 2021, at Abiding Presence Lutheran Church, 2220 Pennington Rd, Ewing Township, NJ 08638. A brief reception with Wanda's family will follow in the Fellowship Hall. If you are able, we'd be happy to have you join us to share in remembering Wanda and her music. Please note that we will be practicing Covid safety protocols including masking.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Department of Music at the College of New Jersey https://music.tcnj.edu/ or to DVHA https://www.dvhahorseshows.org
A superb vocalist and violinist, she was a 1956 graduate of NJ State Teachers College (The College of New Jersey) with a BS in Music Education, where she was Concertmaster of the orchestra and a frequent
choir soloist. She also earned a Master’s Degree in Choral Conducting from TCNJ in 1966. As an annual Alumni Weekend organizer as well as founder and first President of the TCNJ Music Alumni Association, Wanda was honored for 40 years of alumni leadership with the college’s Distinguished Service Award in 2012.
Wanda introduced generations of junior high and middle school students to the joys of music performance during her 37-year career as a choral director with the Ewing Township Public Schools. She passed her lifelong love of music and theatre to her grandsons, Andrew and Greg Redlawsk, who credit her with actively supporting their musical and performance development.
Wanda was a life-long lover of horses. While she never had one as a child, she followed her dreams in 1969 and independently purchased a beautiful parcel of land in West Amwell on which she oversaw construction of a house, barn, and paddocks, creating her working horse farm and retreat.
She became active with the Delaware Valley Horsemen’s Association (DVHA) in 1966, and was awarded with an honorary life membership after having served in numerous leadership roles and serving as President from
1982-1986. Long-time members will recall her key role in the 1969 purchase of the “new” show grounds in Sergeantsville, NJ, which is still the center of DVHA life today.
Some of Wanda’s other activities included serving as a Music Therapy Volunteer at Little Hill-Alina Lodge, Blairstown, NJ, Vocal Soloist at numerous local churches, and as a volunteer Lay Chaplain at Doylestown
Hospital. She was a member of Abiding Presence Lutheran Church in Pennington, NJ.
Born in Lancaster, PA, Wanda grew up in Margate, NJ, graduating from Atlantic City Friends School. She was the daughter of the late George C.T. Kunkle and Wanda Mikulski Kunkle. She was the widow of Welling C.
(“Doc”) Howell, VMD, and was previously married to George Bruce Morgan. In addition to her grandsons, Wanda is survived by her daughter Aletia Morgan and son-in-law David Redlawsk of Newark, DE, and sister
Kazmira Heinbaugh of Warminster, PA.
A Celebration of Wanda Howell's presence in our lives will be held at 2pm on Sunday, December 19, 2021, at Abiding Presence Lutheran Church, 2220 Pennington Rd, Ewing Township, NJ 08638. A brief reception with Wanda's family will follow in the Fellowship Hall. If you are able, we'd be happy to have you join us to share in remembering Wanda and her music. Please note that we will be practicing Covid safety protocols including masking.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Department of Music at the College of New Jersey https://music.tcnj.edu/ or to DVHA https://www.dvhahorseshows.org