Obituary of Ethel A. Haskins

Ethel was a kind and caring woman who thought of others before she thought of herself. She would ask what you needed and begin to figure out how to make it happen. She spent no time on hurtful actions, but instead lived her faith, her beliefs and her love of family and friends.
Haskins, Ethel, age 82 of St. Petersburg, passed away October 3rd, 2021. She was born and raised in Tampa. She was preceded in death by her parents, James and Agnelia "Nellie" Haskins, her sisters: Florelle Haskins, Mary Bridges, Peggy Baker and brothers, Claire, Jimmy, Joe and Bobby Haskins. Ethel is survived by her sister, Sally Kruse, her best friend and caregiver Carol Price, 2 nieces, Beverly Fernandez and Judi Evans who were consistently by her side in the last few months and multiple additional nieces and nephews.
Ethel graduated from Sacred Heart Academy with honors and immediately joined the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary. As a nun, she earned two Masters Degrees and was the Principal at St. Joseph's Catholic School in Bradenton.
After 17 years as a nun, Ethel embarked on a new career centered on volunteerism. She began as the Director of Volunteers at the Office on Aging (Sunshine Center) of the City of St Petersburg and transferred to Leisure Services, Parks and Recreation. She retired in 1999. She didn't stop working, just stopped getting paid for working. Ethel volunteered for enumerable organizations, including but not limited to: Meals on Wheels, Hospice and taught English as a Second Language (ESL) at Sacred Heart Church in Pinellas Park where she was an active member for many years. Her last vocation was as a licensed massage therapist which she dearly loved. She made the world feel better, one client at a time.
For many years, Ethel traveled the world. She walked on a glacier in Alaska, fed Koalas in Australia, admired Mt. Fuji in Japan, walked the beaches in Hawaii, perused the fiords in Norway, took pictures of "The Little Mermaid" in Denmark, floated the canals in Venice, prayed in the blue domed churches of Santorini, bought fruit at the floating market in Bangkok, played slots in Vegas, flew the "red rocks cliffs" in Sedona, attended plays in NY, and loved and felt at home in Ireland. No matter the location or excitement, her favorite trip was always coming back home.
Her passion for reading was proven by the book she always had at the ready everywhere she went. Everyone who knew her, loved her, and she in turn loved them.She will be missed by many, many people. They knew if they ever needed help - Ethel would be the first one to be there.
We offer our gratitude and profound thanks to the caring and wonderful staff on the second floor at Menorah Manor. Each of you gave her your time, your smiles and your willingness to make her last journey the best it could be. To Karen and Amy, you gave her hope and an abundance of kindness and caring that will never be forgotten, and we will forever be in your debt. To Annette and Olga, you gave of your heart, and that changed how she spent her last years with all of us.
Her funeral Mass will be held at Sacred Heart Church, 7809 46th Way North in Pinellas Park Fl 33781, on Wednesday, October 20th. Doors open at noon and Mass begins at 1:00pm.

The family requests no flowers, and instead, a donation to Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Ethel's name to honor her devotion to her faith.