About Gloria

Moms favorite song...."Ava Maria"

This is Gloria Gail Howell (7/05/41-8/15/98) I believe she was 16 in this picture

Hello, my name is Katherine. To mom, I was daughter#2 (my more official name). Mom had five kids. I guess since the first four were girls, it was easier to give us numbers then run through all the names until she hit the right one. I thought it was funny. I guess I'll get into the factual things first, before I start to ramble on about anything else.

Stats Gloria Gail Howell (aka Mom)
Age:57 (7/05/41 - 8/15/98)
Married: to Wayne (8/24/68)
Children: Anita, Katherine, Teresa, Carol and Michael
Grandchildren: 12
Favorite color: Red
Favorite music: Almost anything...Simon and Garfunkle, Peter, Paul and Mary, Kathleen Battle, Christian Music sung acapella. Mother loved music!! All kinds.
Favorite pastime: Playing with her grandchildren. Reading.
Favorite t.v. shows: Mama's Family, Erkle (don't remember the real name of the sitcom), I Love Lucy (and she could be soooo Lucy).
Work: Domestic Goddess
Mom also loved flowers...all flowers.

This was mom and dad at my brother's graduation ceremony two years ago.

Mom was born in 1941, the first of four children. She got married when she was sixteen and had three children by the time she was 21. I was daughter#2 from that marriage. She divorced in 1965 and raised us three girls on her own for three years. In 1968 she met and married Wayne. He adopted us in 1972. They had two more children, daughter #4 and, at last, son #1.

On August 14, mom collapsed. Whatever happened to her, it cut off the oxygen to her brain. The paramedics revived her at the house and once on the way to the hospital. By the time the cat scan was done, we were told she had 3% brain function left and she was on life support. Apparently, the 97% of her brain that was no longer functioning, was irreversably damaged. The doctors said there was a 99.9% chance that mom would not ever lead a normal life again. Mom had made very clear (to us AND with a living will) that she did NOT want to be on life support. So we waited until the whole family could be there and at 12:20 pm on August 15, we had the machines turned off. My dad and us five kids were all there with her, and she took her last breath at 11:20 pm. Just like that, she was fine 37 hours earlier, and now she's gone. Nothing can prepare you for the loss of your mother, whether it's after a long illness or a sudden death. It hurts no matter how they die. I miss my mom, more than I've ever missed anyone in my life. More than anything in the world, I wish I could pick up the phone and call her, or go to her house and sit down and have coffee with her and chat....but I can't. So if your mother is still with you, please take a moment, right now, to pick up the phone and call....and tell her how much you love her, before it's too late.

Well that's all I can write for now.....I'm sure I'll add more later.

*Update* With all by being, I don't believe they did an autopsy, even though my dad signed for a "full" one. It's a long story, but I have every reason to believe they just wrote up some papers to shut me up as I was calling weekly to see what the holdup was. I wanted to know what happened, why she just collapsed like that. They came up with a heart attack, even though the doctor at the hospital told us the first test showed her heart had no damage. They gave her a gallbladder, which I know she had removed years earlier, then gave her no appendix, which I know she never had removed. Having your mother die is hard enough.....having doctors lie to you only adds to the frustration! Now we'll never know what took her from us.

Weep not for me, though I am gone
Into that gentle night.
Grieve if you will, but not for long
Upon my souls sweet flight.
I am at peace, my souls at rest,
There is no need for tears.
For with your love, I was so blessed
For all those many years.
There is no pain, I suffer not,
The fear now all is gone.
Put now these things out of your thoughts,
In your memory I live on.
Remember not my fight for breath,
Remember not the strife.
Please do not dwell upon my death,
But celebrate my life.
Author unknown

This Without You site is owned by Katherine.

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