Kendy Ann Howard (Wilkins)

Kendy Ann Wilkins was born in Orofino, Idaho, on April 30, 1972, to Janie and Wendell Wilkins and joined brother, Brian. The family lived in Kamiah, Idaho, until Kendy was four years old, before moving to Lewiston, Idaho. Lewiston is where Kendy started school. While there, Kendy played with her many Barbie dolls, took dance classes, was an avid singer in the bathtub, giving the family a concert every night, was on a youth track team, raced in the powder puff motorcycle class at several local tracks and made many lifelong friends, before moving to Kamiah in 5th grade.

Kendy immediately loved Kamiah when she met her best friend, Poppy No Go! Poppy was her first horse. Kendy, many may not know, was competitive and loved going to Gymkannas, Omokasees, Jr. rodeos and rodeos. Kendy was royalty for a few local horse organizations in the area. When Kendy reached high school she didn’t have enough time to continue going to rodeos every weekend, so she had to give it up. She still rode casually when she had time and spent time with her aging horse she grew up with.

In high school she started working in the restaurant industry. She was on the original crew when the Pizza Factory came to town. Kendy eventually left the Pizza Factory and went to work at Jilindas Café, working with her mom and brother. Kendy was amazing in this industry; her bubbly personality, her ability to make everyone feel as if they were her friend, and, come on, she was easy on the eyes, helped her be a great waitress. Her ability to handle the stress of the breakfast, lunch and dinner rushes made her a valuable employee.

After high school Kendy had her daughter, Brooke, with Jim Forsmann. Later on she married Dan Howard and had her son, Wyatt. They moved to Lewiston, then to Powel, before settling in Athol. Kendy worked at Kootenai Health and was well known for her bright smile and outgoing personality. She spent many years as a 4-H leader, helping kids with multiple projects. She loved being outside, attending concerts, enjoying her many friendships and a good brewery. In 2012, she became a grandma, thus getting her own mini-me.

Kendy is survived by her parents, Janie and Wendell Wilkins; her children, Brooke Wilkins (Shawn Crowley) and Wyatt Howard (Tiffany Murray); her granddaughter, Kenly Wilkins; brother, Brian Wilkins; and countless friends and relatives. She was loved dearly by her family and we cannot express how much we will miss her.

Her service will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021, at St. Catherine’s Catholic Church in Kamiah, with a potluck dinner to follow.

An on-line obituary and registry may be found at www.yatesfuneralhomes.com