Mary Giovanna Howl

Mary G. 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 Coalgate, 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's Catholic Hospital in OKC, receiving her RN license in 1952. She worked at St Anthony's 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 US Pacific Navy veteran and eldest of 10 brothers and sisters, on May 3, 1958 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 1970s, Mary was a regular volunteer at St Charles Catholic 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 continued to offer 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. Preceded in death by her parents; husband, John; sisters Anna (and husband Charles) Fassino and Martina (and husband Arthur) Pope; sisters-in-law Edwardine and Geraldine Howl; brothers-in-law Norm LeBoeuf and Bob Whitcomb. She is survived by: son, Anthony; brothers and sisters-in-law David and Joy Howl, Richard and Marie Howl, William and Alisha Howl, Jim and Jeanette Daschbaugh, Robert and Susie Howl, Katherine LeBoeuf, Rita Whitcomb, and numerous nieces, nephews, and godchildren. Family suggests memorials be made to St Charles Borromeo Catholic Church or St Anthony's Hospital.