Marybernadette "Bernie" Parenti Howell took flight to heaven on February 8th, 2016 at the age of 68 from her home in Irving, TX following a 15-month battle with cancer. Bernie was born the youngest daughter of Annibale and Anna Parenti on July 11, 1947 in Pittsburgh, PA. She shared her childhood in Carnegie, PA with seven brothers and sisters, including her twin sister Betty, sisters Barbara, Rita, Roseann, & Kay and brothers Tony and Albert. As a child she acquired a love for great Sicilian cooking, Cream of Wheat breakfasts with dad, Christmas pizzelles, and swinging on screen doors. She attended St. Lukes Primary School in Carnegie before graduating from Canevin High School in Pittsburgh and thoroughly enjoyed the reunions. After some youthful adventures in San Bernadino, CA, Bernie found her way back to Pittsburgh where she met & fell in love with Gene Howell, who swept her off her feet and off to Texas in 1969. Gene and Bernie made their home in Irving in 1970 where they enjoyed live music, created lifelong friendships, and became adoring parents to three children Michelle Renee, William Eugene, & Joseph Anthony Howell. Although she tragically lost Joseph after childbirth and divorced in 1978, she devoted herself to creating a household full of love, acceptance, and giving everything your best --- as evidenced by the countless hours spent baking, cooking, crafting, laughing, and at soccer fields with Michelle and Billy. Bernie embraced strays of every kind, listened without judgment, gave her time unselfishly, and always advised in a spirit of love. Her thoughtfulness and consideration touched and changed others in ways she surely never realized. Her feistiness, honesty, and convictions inspired others to action. And her faith in Christ grew as steadily as her love for her children, grandchildren, sisters, brothers, family, and friends despite the challenges life threw her direction. Simple faith, loving acceptance, quick, infectious laughter, and a twinkle in her warm brown eyes defined Bernie to the world around her. She added so much to the lives of those who survive her, including: daughter Michelle Newsom, son-in-law Kevin Newsom and their sons Alexander and Nathaniel; son Bill Howell, daughter-in-law Carrie Howell, and their sons Noah and Cameron; sisters Mary "Betty" Sabol, Barbara Darnley, Sr. Beatrice Ann Parenti, Sr. Catherine Meinert, Roseann Schultz, and Catherine Czambel; sisters-in-law Sandi Parente and Mary Lou Parente and brother-in-law Jim Sabol; former husband Gene Howell and his wife Marie; Godson Bob Darnley; nieces, nephews, great-nieces and nephews and in-laws from the Darnley, Sinciline, Parente, Schultz, Czambel, Wilson, Tofte, Cross, and Howell families; close friends like the Reamys and Princes; and Sunshine. She is preceded in her new life by her son, Joseph Anthony; parents, Annibale and Anna Marie Parenti; brothers John Anthony and Albert Parente; brothers-in-law John Darnley Sr., Roy Czambel, and Ed Schultz; nephew Tim Darnley; and many friends and pets whom she loved dearly. Special thanks to the amazing, caring staff at Texas Oncology, Irving and the staff at Baylor, Scott and White, Irving. A visitation & rosary service will be held in Bernies memory beginning 6pm Thursday, February 11th at Donnellys Colonial Funeral Home, 606 West Airport Freeway, Irving. A Mass of Christian Burial will be hosted beginning 11am Friday, February 12th at Holy Family of Nazareth Catholic Church in Irving. Interment will be at Oak Grove Memorial Gardens in Irving. For more information, please contact Donnellys Colonial Funeral Home at: 972.579.1313. In lieu of flowers, the family requests monetary donations to: Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill DePaul Center 144 DePaul Center Rd Greensburg, PA 15601 www.scsh.org Or donations of time or money to: Irving Healthcare Foundation www.healthyirving.org "Do the best that you can with what you have"