SOLDIERS GROVE - Kristen (Kris) Patricia Howell, age 27, passed away in an automobile accident on January 6th, 2026. Kristen and her bandmates were travelling in preparation to record music for Dewclaw, a collaborative music project that Kris was so incredibly passionate about when the accident occurred.
Kristen was born to Roger and Julie (Mertz) Howell on August 23rd, 1998, with a full head of beautiful hair. She grew up outside of Fennimore and enjoyed building fairy houses in the yard, playing with outdoor kittens and putting on shows in front of sheets hanging on the clothesline. Kristen loved jamming to music with her dad, coloring with her mom, thrifting with her sister, Rachel, and watching her brother, Sean, play ball.
Kristen was a wonderful daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, aunt, and the most loyal friend. If you were lucky enough to be in Kris’s corner, you felt loved fiercely. Kris loved being an aunt to her niece and nephews more than anything, having both beautiful and unique bonds with each of them.
Kristen was a very talented musician. She played guitar, bass, keyboard and mandolin, but she enjoyed singing the most. She often had solos in high school for choir concerts, and she did not let her passion for singing dwindle after graduation. As the lead vocalist of Dewclaw, Kristen’s performances were hauntingly beautiful and seemingly effortless. Kristen was dedicated to writing music and performing with her bandmates. Music she has recorded can be found on Soundcloud (Dewclaw). Music was therapeutic to Kristen, and she enjoyed curating mix CDs as part of her love language.
Kristen was a gifted artist who created many things in her years from paintings and crochet pieces to album covers. She most recently took up carving stamps to create Dewclaw t-shirts, a creative idea she had for covering travel expenses so that playing shows was more attainable.
Kristen was an advocate and ally to those who faced mental health challenges as this was something she battled for many years and worked everyday to overcome. She was radically empathetic and felt deeply for others.
Kristen is survived by her parents Roger and Julie Howell, brother Sean (Jade) Howell, sister Rachel (Austin) Peters, nephews Holden and Finn Howell, and Frankie Peters, niece Iris Peters, Grandpa Robert (Bud) Mertz, many aunts and uncles and close friends who felt like family.
She was preceded in death by grandparents Wilson and Ethel Howell and Jeanette Mertz, Uncle Donny Herbeck and Aunt Jenny Bickham, and beloved pets.
In lieu of flowers or plants, a wonderful way to honor Kristen would be to make a donation to the Sauk County Humane Society.
Visitation For Family And Friends
Celebration of Life
A private celebration of life will be held at a later date.