March 20, 2009 — Services for Rosita Ansonio-Rivera Howard of Bovoni Homes, who died March 9 in Tampa, Fla. at the age of 47, will be held Monday at 10 a.m. at the Shiloh Seventh-Day Adventist Church.
The first viewing will be held from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday at the Davis Funeral Home. A second viewing will be held at the church at 9 a.m. Monday, preceding the service. Burial will be in Western Cemetery.
Howard and her mother, Terecita Rivera, Bovoni Homeowners Association president, was an active community spokeswoman. Sen. Shawn-Michael Malone, also a Bovoni resident, said, "She was a trailblazer for community activism and organization that will have a timeless effect on the residents of the Bovoni community."
Malone said, "She was one of the movers and shakers of the community. Along with her mother, she increased public awareness of some of the intrastructural and environmental challenges that residents of Bovoni face on a daily basis. She set the standard for community outreach programs which other neighborhoods, such as Tutu, Northside, Bordeaux, Garden Street and Savan, emulated."
In expressing his condolences to her family, the senator said in a release, "Her legacy and standard of dedication to improve the Bovoni neighborhood will forever be etched in the heart and minds of Bovoni residents for years to come."
She is survived by her mother, Terecita Rojas Rivera; father, Angel Manuel Rivera; husband, Myron Howard Sr.; grandmother Modesta Ramos; sons Myron L. Howard Jr. and Mark Howard; daughter Ansonia B. Howard; brothers, Angel Rivera Jr., and Miguel A. Rivera; sister, Luz Rivera; and many other relative and friends.
Arrangements are by the Davis Funeral Home.
