Dearest Friends,
Our little baby boy, Joseph Matthew Howe, was born early
Tuesday morning, Oct. 23rd at 5:22am. He weighed 2lbs 10.8oz and was 14.5 inches tall. Joey 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 Joey’s
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 Joey’s 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 Joey’s 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
Joey’s 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)
If anyone is interested in helping with items for the Saturday
luncheon, please contact Carol Heuser (513) 777-4322 (ext 104).
I am so so sorry for your loss Marie. Be assured of my prayers and love from afar.
ReplyDeleteI had the privilege of hearing a bit of your family's story from your mom when I had a delightful meeting with her on the phone. I am so moved by the beauty of your story and your love for little Joey! In this crazy election season, your story stands out as such a powerful testimony to the meaning of the life of an unborn baby! I am so glad to hear that you got to hold Joey and have him baptized. May our good God shower you with consolation and tangible evidence of His provident love in the midst of your loss, and might he bring forth abundant fruit from your surrender and you "Fiat". Mary in Wadsworth, OH
ReplyDeleteSomeone just forwarded me your blog. I'm so sorry for your loss. I lost my son, Joshua on march 21 of this yr. he lived for 42 precious minutes. Sending love and prayers.
ReplyDeleteSarah Beth
Www.smoterfamily.blogspot.com
God bless your family. So glad that you had 88 precious minutes with your baby!
ReplyDelete