Alumna dies Friday in motorcycle accident
Howard a ‘bubble of life’ who was always smiling
By Brent Yarina
Staff Reporter

Kelly Marie Howard, an alumna remembered for her energetic and gregarious personality, died early Friday in a Dallas hospital after a motorcycle accident. She was 23.

Services are planned for 1 p.m. Thursday at Broadway Baptist Church at 305 W. Broadway. Howard, who graduated from TCU in December 2002 with a degree in broadcast journalism, will be buried at Greenwood Memorial Park.

Howard was traveling southbound at 10:35 p.m. Thursday on Stemmons Freeway when she collided into a retaining wall while trying to enter an off-ramp, according to a Dallas police report.

Howard was taken to a local hospital and pronounced dead two hours later from internal bleeding, according to the report.

Howard had served as a radio personality for both Mix 102.9 and 97.1 The Eagle and is a former Skiff reporter. She was also an Eagle Drill Team coordinator and an account executive.

Jeff Tucker, who was Howard’s cheerleading coach at TCU, said Howard was a great individual with a wonderful personality that brightened everyone’s day.

“Kelly was a real sweet girl, very energetic,” Tucker said. “Even if she was in a bad mood, she always had a smile on her face. She was upbeat. Her excitement was contagious.”

Tucker said that even after Howard was no longer a cheerleader, she would always stop by and try to keep in touch with the other cheerleaders. He said this meant a lot to him and the cheerleaders because no one could help but get excited when Howard was around.

Suzanne Huffman, an associate professor of journalism, said Howard was energetic and full of life.

“Kelly was a dynamo,” she said. “She was just a lovely student, a joy to have in class and she was already an established radio personality in this market, so she had some real world experience to share with the class.”

Matt Singer, a senior advertising and public relations major, said he knew Howard since she was 14 years old and went to high school with her.

“She was a really sweet girl,” Singer said. “She always had a lot of school spirit and was a cheerleader for as long as I knew her.”

Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Greenwood Funeral Home.

Howard was preceded in death by her father, Donnell Howard. She is survived by her mother, Sherri Howard; brother, Charles Christ; and numerous extended family members.

Staff Reporter Jacque Nguyen contributed to this report.

b.j.yarina@tcu.edu