Teresa Ann (Terry) Howland, beloved member and participant in Pima Monthly Meeting for over thirty years, died in Tucson on September 18, 2022, at the age of 75.
Teresa Ann Howland was born to Richard Howland and Gertrude Glass Howland on October 19,1946 in Auburn, New York, the third of four children. She had an older brother, William, older sister, Catherine, and a younger sister, Laura. Terry grew up in West Hartford, Connecticut.
After graduating high school Terry embraced the zeitgeist of the 1960’s and hitchhiked to the Haight Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco. She attended peace protests and lived in communes in Vermont and Tennessee where she foraged for wild plants, made tofu and baked bread.
Terry studied textiles and weaving at the Rochester Institute of Technology where she met her husband, Steven Levine. They married on April 16, 1966 and had a son, Benjamin Alexander Levine, on August 25th of that year. Her son Benjamin was probably the greatest joy in her life.The couple later divorced and Ben continued to live with his mother. Because Terry was a single mother, money was very tight, but they shared enjoyment of reading and creating art projects.
Terry was an ebullient spirit, full of love and wonder. She fully embodied the Quaker testimonies of community and equality in her life and work. Terry was also deeply involved in the Buddhist tradition, taking the Buddhist refuges and the bodhisattva vow in 1979. The bodhisattva vow is a pledge to service to all sentient beings, stating, in part:
The unrescued I will rescue
The unliberated I will liberate
The uncomforted I will comfort
Terry took this vow seriously. In PMM she led the Homeless Hospitality Committee for a number of years. She saw each person as inherently valuable in their own right. It was important to her to show true hospitality to the homeless men that stayed at the Meetinghouse, treating them as beloved guests.
For decades Terry wrote letters to and visited several incarcerated men through prison visitation projects. Terry was a lifeline to several individuals. She actively promoted community in her neighborhood by visiting sick neighbors and sharing produce with the neighborhood. For the last 30 years of her life she worked as a caregiver for the elderly, seeing this work as a calling. In each of these roles what was notable was Terry’s attitude toward people who were suffering.
Terry had a deep love of nature and the natural world. She loved going camping, foraging wild foods and cooking over an open fire. She loved art and curated her small house to have beautifully arranged areas everywhere one looked. She was whimsical and enjoyed homemade cards (making and receiving), quirky art projects and unexpected joys. She was a woman who could find something to appreciate in almost any place and situation. Her childlike wonder in the unfolding of her life’s journey was a singular and memorable aspect of her personality.
Terry worked in a variety of jobs as an architectural draftsperson, caregiver and CNA. Terry often quipped that she forgot to have a career but was managing to have a life.
Terry became interested in Buddhism and Quakerism when she was still in high school. She was involved with Quakers through peace work and was interested in Buddhism as a religion. While staying true to the Buddhist framework throughout her life, she became involved with Quaker worship in 1984 when she moved to Tucson. Terry lived in Tucson for 11 years until 1995 when she returned to Tennessee to care for her aging parents. She stayed in Tennessee for 7 years and then returned to Tucson after her parents’ deaths.
Beginning in 2002, Terry became very active in Pima Monthly Meeting. Besides serving on the Homeless Hospitality Committee, she also served on the Peace and Social Concerns, Membership and Marriage, Ministry and Oversight, Kitchen, and Nominating Committees. Her vocal ministry was often a gentle reminder to notice the wonder around us.
In 2016, Terry became a member of Pima Monthly Meeting and the Society of Friends. She still held Buddhist beliefs, but no longer saw those beliefs as incongruous with Quakerism. She would sometimes say, “I don’t care what you call it. You can use the word God, but I don’t, but there is Something.”
Terry is survived by her sister, Catherine, son, Benjamin Levine, his wife, Gina Steele, two grandchildren, Lucas and Olivia, her former partner, John Franzone, and many many close friends.
Approved at Pima Monthly Meeting for Worship with Concern for Business 8th Month, 13th Day, 2023