Dr. Donald Sherman Howell, 85, went to be with Lord on May 13, 2016. He was the son of the late Josephine H. and Sherman G. Howell.

He was a member of First Baptist Church, where he was active in the Golden Age Sunday school class and the Deeper Life Wednesday night Bible study group. He graduated in three years from Duke University and from the Medical College of Virginia, in Richmond. He completed his orthopedic surgery residency in Philadelphia. In May of 1961, he started the first private practice in Suffolk for orthopedic surgery and retired in January of 1998. Following his retirement, he worked for years for the Western Tidewater Free Clinic. Dr. Howell was a member of the American Medical Association and of the AOPA and was a multi-engine instrument rated pilot.

Dr. Howell was survived by his wife, Shirley Steel Howell; two children, Patricia Lynn Howell and Jay and wife Kim Trimble Howell, all of Suffolk; grandchildren, Harris James Howell, Katherine Beth Howell, Kelly Savage and Maddie Savage.

A graveside funeral service will be conducted in Holly Lawn Cemetery on Wednesday, May 18, 2016, at 11:30 a.m. by the Rev. Lindsey Poteat. R.W. Baker & Co. Funeral Home and Crematory is serving the family. Memorial donations may be made to the Nansemond-Suffolk Rescue Squad, P.O. Box 1515, Suffolk, VA 23439. Condolences may be registered at RWBakerFH.com.