Mary Patricia Howell's Obituary
Mary Patricia Howell went to be with the Lord on February 25, 2023 at the age of 78 after a short battle with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
Mary was born on July 29, 1944 to Richard Neil and Rubena McCarten in Janesville, Wisconsin. She married Richard Jerome Howell on June 25, 1966. Mary and Rich moved to Denver where they lived for eight years, then lived briefly in Evanston, Illinois before moving to Dallas in 1976, where they lived in the same house for nearly 50 years.
Mary was a student and educator extraordinaire. She was Janesville High School’s Valedictorian in 1962 and a member of the water ballet team. She received a Bachelor of Sciences degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1966 and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
Computer programming, teaching high school biology, and developing Vacation Bible School curricula were among her favored career endeavors. For two decades, Mary and Rich were active tennis players and later taught fourth grade Sunday School classes together at Believers Chapel. Mary used the Berlitz Method to teach English to native Hispanic speakers in the Dallas area.
Mary was an avid and talented gardener who was able to cultivate picture perfect geraniums, among other flowers, amidst the Texas heat. She enjoyed trips to Cedar Creek Lake with Rich where she reveled in the gorgeous sunsets and delighted in bird watching, particularly purple martins. Mary’s most cherished times were raising two children, who are currently raising eight grandchildren.
Mary was a highly principled, quietly stubborn and an incredibly loving woman who modeled what holding your convictions looks like. A mentor to many and a friend to all, Mary steadfastly displayed the "warrior" energy so desperately needed in the world today.
Mary is preceded in death by her parents, Richard and Rubena McCarten, and by her sister in-law, Deanna House of Kalamazoo, MI and Deanna’s husband, George. Mary is survived by her husband, Rich Howell of Dallas, Texas; Daughter Christina (Howell) and Jonathan Duvall of Greenville, SC and their three children, Owen, Audrey and Cora; Son David Howell and his wife Catherine of Austin, TX and their five children, Henry, Hattie, Lucy Jane, Margaret and Ellie Mae; Sister Maureen Thornton and husband Ned of Janesville, WI and brother Rich McCarten and wife Eileen of Rockford, IL, as well as beloved nieces and nephews Sara, Paul, Emily, Michael, Katie and Grace.
Visitation will be held on Sunday, March 5 from 5:00-7:30 PM with the service on Monday, March 6 at 11:00 AM. Both will be held at Believers Chapel, 6420 Churchill Way, Dallas. The 11:00 AM service will be live streamed: http://tinysa.com/live/bchapeldallas
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the CJD Foundation in Mary’s name to raise more awareness of this disease: cjdfoundation.org/donate
What’s your fondest memory of Mary?
What’s a lesson you learned from Mary?
Share a story where Mary's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Mary you’ll never forget.
How did Mary make you smile?