About Brigitte Agnes Keilflug (Kacmarek) Howell
Brigitte Agnes Keilflug (Kacmarek) Howell passed away peacefully on January 23, 2023, at her home in Gilbert, Arizona. She was born in Leibuch Kreis Schwerin an der Warthe in Germany, close to the Polish border to Martha Keilflug Kaczmarek and Roman Ludwig Kaczmarek. After her mother’s death, 8 days after she was born, Brigitte was adopted by her uncle Linus Florian Keilflug and his wife, Martha Wesolek Keilflug.
Brigitte grew up in Berlin, traveled to London working for a British family, then to Washington D.C., and finally joined the American Army as a WAC (Women’s Army Corp). It was in the Military at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, that she met and married her husband, Virstee Howell, Jr. They were married for 67 years.
Brigitte is survived by her husband, Virstee, their children Gwendolyn (AZ), Michael (CA), Kathleen (CA), and Ellen (TX), and her three grandchildren Steven and Kevin Reeves (AZ) and Christine Wheeler (PA). In Berlin, she is preceded in death by her brother Manfred, who she loved so dearly. She leaves behind her brother’s wife, Gerda, her niece Marion Hülsemann and husband Rudi, their children Benjamin, Jacquelin, and Sven, and their grandchildren, Niclas and Julian.
She is remembered ever so fondly by her LDS community for her generous, sweet, and sassy spirit; by her children for her creativity and resourcefulness as a young mother with 4 children, Mutti’s storytelling about her life in Germany, her ability to be funny without even trying, and her unashamed abandonment to laughter that invited you to follow along. She is remembered by her husband for her undying love and fighting spirit through so many trials in life. He lovingly calls her a “tough cookie”.
In lieu of flowers, please send cards to include memories of time spent with “Kitty” that can be shared with her family in the U.S. and Germany. She would have loved this since she was the master cardmaker.
