Amanda Howe
March 14, 1976 – August 17, 2010

            Amanda Howe was the sole administrative support team for VFA-Dallas until its last few weeks. She was an indispensible help and she was determined that all people have equality.  Unfortunately, in spite of all the help she received from family and friends (from most of whom she hid her private anguish) she was—for one second—tempted to give into her terrors and she died of an overdose of drugs prescribed, ironically, for chronic anxiety.

From her memorial service:
In her 34 years, Mandy filled uncountable lives with love and laughter,
inspiration and joy. To her friends she was “bright and shiny,” to her mom she was “the blithe spirit,” to everyone she met she was a brilliant light of warmth and caring.
            She had an enormous family of friends, not only in Dallas but also around the world. Her Moldovan “sister” Veronica Boaghi and her parents—who were her hosts when she was in the Peace Corps-- were Amanda’s second family. Her beloved “Unk” (Robert Crane) was her cycling and traveling buddy. Their adventures will always be remembered with much laughter and the great photos that both took wherever they went. Her two Westies—Casper and Caroline—who always knew her arrival signaled treats and a good walk.
             She was the love of her mother Janet Howe’s life—traveling through the years of growing up, exploring all the possibilities that life had to offer and always grateful to have each other. Mandy’s name said it all: “Worthy to be loved.”
             Mandy was a resourceful, invincible adventurer—traveling and studying on virtually every continent. She lived twice in Italy—once as a foreign exchange student for a year in Bari and for half a year in Turin as a business student from SMU. Other places touched by Mandy’s spirit and wonder were China, Thailand, Indonesia, Africa, Australia, Iceland, Belize, Guatemala, Argentina, Russia, Eastern Europe, and other countries in Western Europe.  She climbed to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, swam with whale sharks off Zanzibar and befriended a big boa in Belize.  Mandy was fearless, often to the distress of her family and friends. But somehow she always came home safely.  Her special laughter, great puns and travel stories fill up our memories.
            Mandy was a scholar and an eclectic reader—hundreds and hundreds of books surrounded her.  Whenever she traveled she packed a suitcase full of books. “Why in the world are you taking all those heavy books with you?” we would ask. Her answer: “Because having my books around me makes me feel good.”
            Many honors and opportunities came her way while earning her international law degree at The American University in Washington, D.C. She went to China as a guest speaker at the opening of China’s western provinces in Zi’an in 2000. She worked at the World Bank. She earned her undergraduate degree in political science and international studies at Southern Methodist University.
            Mandy had a giving, compassionate heart. In the last year of her all too short life she volunteered to work in the gardens at the Dallas Arboretum, produced news stories for Reading and Radio Resource for the visually impaired, and helped children with neurological challenges enjoy riding therapy through Equest Therapeutic Riding Center in Wylie. She loved writing for Dallas magazines and AOL’s City Search website. And she served entirely as a volunteer on the VFA-Dallas 2010 event.
            Mandy had happy plans for the fall—learning to ride English-style, volunteering with the local mental health association, talking her uncle into a trip to New Zealand, cycling with him through the Texas Hill Country, and reuniting with her Italian host family and Moldovan “sister” in Bari, Italy.
            For all the years ahead, our lives will be wrapped in Mandy’s light and love. And we will smile when we hear her laughter.