Sylvia Bodie Howell

Sylvia Bodie Howell, a gifted musician and devoted community builder, passed away peacefully in Lexington, SC on February 28, 2026, at the age of 93. She was born in Staunton, VA on June 27, 1932, to Anne Alvis and William Jesse Bodie. She married Kennard P. Howell on November 24, 1960, in Tucson, AZ and they danced through life together for the next 65 years. They moved to Wellmore Assisted Living in Lexington in February 2023.

Sylvia graduated from Greensboro College in Greensboro, NC, with a Bachelor of Arts in Music for Violin. In 2006, she received the Alumni Excellence Award. After completing her undergraduate studies, she received a Master of Music from Peabody College at Vanderbilt University, followed by music studies at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria.

Devoting much of her life to music, Sylvia served as a music therapist, an instructor of Braille music, and taught music in public and private schools. In 1958–1959, she taught Music Education at Greensboro College in Greensboro, NC. She also performed as a violinist in symphony orchestras, including those in Winston-Salem, NC; Tucson, AZ; Nashville, TN; and the Interlochen Center for the Arts in MI. Throughout her adult life, she maintained a home music studio, offering private lessons in piano and violin.

While living in Tallahassee, FL, Sylvia and her husband Ken helped found the Big Bend Community Orchestra. After moving to Lexington, SC, Sylvia and Ken co-founded the Lake Murray Symphony Orchestra (LMSO) in 2004. They both performed in the orchestra — Sylvia on violin and Ken on percussion — for some four concerts each year through 2024.

Beyond music, Sylvia also pursued a successful second career in real estate. In the 1980s, she graduated from the Realtors Institute and maintained a portfolio of home sales averaging $1 to $2 million over a 10-year period. She served on a number of local boards, including the Shepherd Center of Saint Andrews, and was appointed by the Governor of South Carolina to the Board of Directors of the Lexington County Mental Health Commission.

Sylvia had a great passion for travel. She and Ken traveled to over 42 countries and worked with Medical Missions Outreach on some of their foreign trips.

Sylvia's life was a testament to the power of music to build community, and her legacy lives on in every note played by the orchestras she helped bring to life.

Surviving relatives are her daughter, Cynthia (Cindy) Anne Bodie (Mike); her grandson, Brandon Eric Bodie (Melodi); all of Lexington, SC; and her sister, Sallie Virginia Bodie of Seattle, WA.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Kennard; her son, Steven William Howell; her sister, Jeanne Bodie Sizemore; and her brothers, William (Bill) Jesse Bodie Jr.; and Charles Alvis Bodie.

A memorial service at St. Stephen's Lutheran Church in Lexington, SC will be held at 1:30 PM on March 15, 2026, followed by interment of cremated remains and a reception in the church hall. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Building Fund of St. Stephen's Evangelical Lutheran Church at 119 N. Church St., Lexington, SC 29072, or to the Lake Murray Symphony Orchestra, PO Box 1093, Irmo, SC 29073. Barr-Price Funeral Home and Crematorium, Lexington Chapel is assisting the family with arrangements.

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