Dearest Friends, Our little baby boy, Joseph Matthew Howe, was born early Tuesday morning, Oct. 23rd at 5:22am. He weighed 2 lbs 10.8 oz, and was 14.5 inches tall. He lived for approx. 88 minutes before quietly passing into the arms of our Heavenly Father. He was able to receive baptism and confirmation immediately following birth, from our dear priest and friend, Fr. Jerome Zeiler. Although Joey came earlier than expected, we knew he had anencephaly and were prepared for his short life on this Earth. After his diagnosis around 20 weeks, we made the decision to carry and love him as long as possible, and we have been blessed in so many unimaginable ways because of it. On the day of Joeys birth, we were blessed with a perfect day, and all our little prayers were answered beautifully-- I had a safe and natural labor and delivery; my waters remained intact until the last minute, so there was minimal stress on Joeys head; Joey was born alive, (and even wiggling); big sister Elisa was there to meet and hold her brother alive; our parents were there to help us celebrate Joeys life, as well as his passing into Heaven; Matt and I were blessed with an abundance of grace to appreciate and enjoy each moment, including the whole rest of the day, just cuddling and making memories with Joey; but most importantly, we were so immensely blessed to have Joey baptized and confirmed in the very first precious moments of his life! Thank you all for your many, many prayers and support through this difficult yet blessed time in our lives. For those of you interested in reading about Joeys story, http://beforeiformedyou.blogspot.com/ Funeral Services for Joseph Matthew Howe will be as follows: Friday, Oct. 26th, 6-8pm, visitation at Mueller Parker Funeral Home (6791 Tylersville Rd. Mason, OH 45040) Saturday, Oct. 27th, 10:00am, Funeral Mass at St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Parish (5720 Hamilton Mason Rd. Liberty Township, OH 45011) Luncheon immediately following in the parish center. Monday, Oct. 29th, 10:00am, small burial service at Gates of Heaven Catholic Cemetery (11000 Montgomery Rd. Cincinnati, OH 45249) In lieu of flowers, you may wish to consider making a donation to Prenatal Partners for Life, or Pregnancy Life Centers of Cincinnati, East or West. To send a condolence, visit www.muellerparker.com 513-398-9100
To order
memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Joseph Matthew Howe, please visit our
flower store.
