Service held for Mary Giovanna Howl
Mary Giovanna Howl, age 87, beloved mother, wife, sister and aunt, died Sunday, October 28, 2018 in her home in Edmond, OK.
Born in Sherman, TX, the daughter of Italian immigrants Toni and Giovanna (Ghigo) Blua, Mary grew up and attended school in Coal-gate, OK. She had two older sisters, Anna and Martina. After graduating from Coalgate High in 1949, she attended Nurses Training under the Franciscan Sisters of Mary at St. Anthony Catholic Hospital in OKC receiving her RN license in 1952.
She worked at St. Anthony as a floor supervisor for 10 years, where she also taught nursing school, and later worked for a private physician’s clinic until the birth of her son, Anthony, in 1969.
She married John Howl, son of William and Agnes (Conroy) Howl, a WWII U. S. Pacific Navy veteran and eldest of 10 brothers, and sisters, on May 3, 1957, in St. Joseph’s Cathedral in downtown OKC. Shortly after, the couple became early members of St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Parrish in OKC under Father Beckman. They were frequent donors and volunteers for the church, serving as Eucharistic ministers, and John a lector, for many years. In the 1970’s Mary was a regular volunteer at St. Charles’ grade school serving as home-room mother and school nurse, while also working part time to maintain her nursing license. She returned to private-practice nursing full time from 1985 - 1992, and then part time before retiring in the late 1990s. Later, she became a full-time caregiver to her husband, John, prior to his death in 2003, and to her sister, Anna, for 13 years until her death in 2012.
True to her life’s calling, she offered help and care in times of need to numerous family members, friends, neighbors, and parishioners until her final days. She will be remembered most for her kind and giving spirit, and a lifetime spent caring for others.
She was preceded in death by her parents; husband; sisters, Anna (and husband Charles) Fassino and Martina (and husband Arthur) Pope; sisters-in-law Edwardine and Geraldine Howl; and brothers-in-law, Norm LeBoeuf and Bob Whitcomb.
She is survived by son, Anthony; brothers and sisters-in-law, David and Joy Howl, Dick and Marie Howl, William and Alisha Howl, Jim and Jeanette Daschbaugh, Bob and Susie Howl, Katherine LeBoeuf, and Rita Whitcomb; and numerous nieces, nephews, and godchildren.
Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at 10:00 a.m. Monday, November 5 at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church and burial was in the Resurrection Memorial Cemetery.