Charlotte S. Houghton, Stieff consultant

Charlotte S. Houghton, a former Stieff Co. wedding consultant and longtime Rodgers Forge resident, died Saturday of a gastrointestinal disorder at Gilchrist Hospice Care in Towson. She was 91.

The daughter of William Franklin Spittle and Hazel Shafer Spittle, Charlotte Spittle was born and raised in Baltimore.

She was a 1942 graduate of Western High School and attended the Johns Hopkins University. From 1944 to 1956, she worked for Fidelity Deposit and later American Express.

After her two daughters were grown, Mrs. Houghton returned to work in 1972 when she joined the Stieff Co. as a wedding consultant. She retired in 1984.

She was married in 1952 to Donald E. Houghton, a project planner for Martin Marietta Corp’s. Aerospace Division, and except for the four years when he was assigned to the company’s Denver facility, the couple lived on Heathfield Road in Rodgers Forge.

“They were the original owners of the house that was built by James Keelty,” said a daughter, Sue Hendley Houghton of Frederick.

For a number of years, Mrs. Houghton operated RSVP, an engraved invitations business, out of her home.

She had volunteered with the Girl Scouts and Welcome Wagon, and was a member of Zeta Tau Sigma.

Mrs. Houghton was a member for more than 60 years of Grace United Methodist Church and its United Methodist Women.

In 2012, she moved to the Edenwald Retirement Community in Towson, where she was a member of the Glee Club and Reader’s Theatre.

While Mrs. Houghton came to the theater late in life, her daughter said, at Edenwald she was known for her singing ability and portrayals of such characters as Second Hand Rose and Dolly Levi. Her husband died in 2006. A celebration of her life will be held at 10:30 a.m. today at her church, 5407 N. Charles St.

In addition to Ms. Houghton, she is survived by another daughter, Sally Houghton Hauf of Mays Chapel; and four grandchildren.