Theresa Howe, a superstar, of Warwick, died on January 20, 2008 at Schervier Pavilion.
“You might not recognize her name because she never starred in any TV shows or movies, never won any awards, or even had her name in a newspaper for any reason. She was born poor in Brooklyn, NY on December 22, 1917. Her father died when she was a young girl leaving her family even poorer. She married at a young age, never having the chance to further her education. She had five children: Kathleen, Estelle, June, Madeline, and Henry, Jr. From the time she married until the time she became ill, she dedicated her entire life and all of her energy to her husband, Henry, her five children, and her apartment. Her husband died early in life leaving her ever in a worse monetary situation. Mom and Dad never owned a new car or home, never went on any fancy vacations, never made enough money to save anything for a rainy day. Everything Mom and Dad ever did was for their children, not themselves. The Howe family grew to twenty-three grandchildren and thirty-six great-grandchildren (another one due any day now). Mom’s apartment was always clean as a hospital and her kitchen always carried the aroma of a home cooked meal. Anyone who stopped by her apartment never left with an empty stomach. Up until the on-start of he sickness, she always sent every family member a holiday card and every member always received a Christmas gift, no matter how small of a gift it might be. However, just before Christmas 2007, her condition got worse and the Lord finally took her today, back home to our dad..
You might read this and wonder, why a superstar? To answer that question, evaluate your own life and ask how much you do for yourself, how big is your home, how many new cars have you had, how many times have you been to Disney World or on some flamboyant vacation. How many people out there really live their lives purposely for their family?
In the village of Warwick, New York on January 20, 2008, a superstar died. You might not recognize her name. It was Theresa Howe. Theresa was 90 years old.”
Visitation will be on Sunday, January 27, from 2-4 & 7-8 pm at Lazear-Smith & Vander Plaat Memorial Home, 17 Oakland Ave., Warwick. Funeral service will be held at 8:00 pm on Sunday at the funeral home. Interment will be at 11:30 am on Monday at All Faiths Cemetery, Middle Village, Queens, NY.