Vanessa Lynn Howard

Vanessa Lynn Howard

April 27, 1982 ~ August 11, 2019 (age 37)

Vanessa Lynn Howard, 37 years young, of the Bullhead Clan and Minneapolis, Minnesota began her journey to the spirit world on Sunday, August 11th, 2019 from the Hennepin Medical Center in Minneapolis, MN.

Vanessa was born to Jean (White) Howard and Michael Howard on April 27, 1982. She was born and raised in Cass Lake, MN. She attended Cass Lake-Bena School and graduated in May of 2000. Vanessa enjoyed playing volleyball and softball growing up. During her high school years, she was very popular and was the Senior Class Vice President. She was the perfect teenager; always telling her mom and dad where she was going and was never once late for curfew. After graduating high school, Vanessa attended Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence Kansas from August of 2000 until May of 2001 and then graduated from the Hubert H. Humphrey Job Corp in 2002. Vanessa held many job positions; she was an Administrative Assistant in the Human Resources Office for the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, she worked as a Client Advocate for the First Nation Recovery Center and as a Financial Worker for Hennepin County Human Services. She found great joy in helping others, and it showed in the kind of work she chose to do.

She was a free spirit and always the life of the party, Vanessa's sense of humor could make you laugh for hours. She was always well dressed, beautiful and elegant and the first to eloquently express her opinion. Vanessa adored her family, she was very caring, strong willed and our protector! She never allowed anyone to bully her mother, siblings, kids or her nieces and nephews. Her presence will be sadly missed by all.

Family that Vanessa is reunited with are her brother, Mikey Howard, Jr .; maternal grandparents, Lillian and Hartley White, Sr .; paternal grandparents, Stella and Thomas Howard, Sr .; special cousin, Deanna White and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins; too many to list.

Those she leaves behind are her mother, Jean Howard of Minneapolis; her father, Mike Howard, Sr. of Cass Lake; her babies, Mikey Saice and Mia Rasmusson; brothers, Nathan and Nicholas Howard both of Minneapolis; sisters, Darla Howard of Minneapolis and Nichelle Howard of Cass Lake; aunties, Linda Morris, Donna and Peggy White and Dorothy Robinson, uncles, Hartley White, Jr., Leonard, Thomas Jr., James and Ron Howard; nieces, Jenika Howard and Marissa Hill, nephew; Jared Hill; special cousin, Rosalie White; father of her children, Kenneth Rasmusson; step children, Paul, JR, Brandon and Jordan Saice; her very special fur baby, Millie and several great aunts and uncles.

An overnight wake for Vanessa will begin at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 15th and continue until her 10:00 a.m. traditional service on Friday, August 16th all being held at the Veteran's Memorial Building in Cass Lake, MN. Waa-maajaa'iwed is Steve Jackson. Pallbearers for Vanessa are Nathan Howard, Nicholas Howard, Kenneth Rasmusson, Kenneth White, Larry Wade, Brandon White, Sr., Stephon White, Paul Saice, Jr., Jordan Saice, Darrick Brown, Joshua Hare and Calvin Sargent. Her honorary pallbearers are Mikey Saice, Mia Rasmusson, Jean Howard, Darla Howard, Michael Howard, Jenika Howard, Hartley White, Jr., Linda Morris, Donna White, Peggy White, Rosalie White, Laura Chase, Lillyann Cuevas, Pamela Russette, Diana Sanders and Natalie Lovelace. Interment will be in the George Johnson Memorial Cemetery at Winnie Dam, MN.

Vanessa's care has been entrusted to Northern Peace Funeral Home of Walker. Online condolences for the family may be left at http://www.northernpeace.com