Mary Jane (Howell) Borowka

Mary Jane Borowka was born to Martha and Bayard Howell on April 12th, 1944. Mary grew up in Wilmington, Delaware and graduated from Wilmington High School where she met her husband, William Borowka. Bill and Mary were married on November 3, 1962 and celebrated over 60 years of marriage.

Mary is preceded in death by her husband, Bill, her brother, Donald Howell, and her son-in-law, Bryon Aiello. She is survived by her daughters, Linda (Borowka) Wilson, and her husband, Ernie Wilson, Jr., and Melissa (Borowka) Aiello; her eight grandchildren and their spouses: Ernie and Chantel Wilson III, Jesse Wilson, Rebecca and Nicholas Maciag, Tyler and Luizy Aiello, Tristan Aiello, Tanner and Heather Aiello, Teagan Aiello, Terencio Aiello; and her five great-grandchildren: Ernie Wilson IV, Camryn Maciag, Blakely Maciag, Nicholas (Nico) Maciag, and Jaxson Wilson. She is also survived by her brother, Harold Howell, her sister-in-law, Mary-Lou Howell, as well as many nieces and nephews.

Mary cherished memories from her childhood spending time with her father. As a young woman, Mary loved being a wife, mother, and raising her daughters. She liked doing simple things with us when we were kids. She loved taking us on walks and climbing over rocks in a stream. She enjoyed bike riding, day trips to the beach, sledding and skating with us. Many vacations were spent at the beach, her favorite place. She loved the ocean and the calming roar of the waves. She would stay on the beach from sunrise to sunset, which, as a kid, seemed like an eternity. These trips continued as the grandchildren started to come along. As Mary became more adventurous, she parasailed in Mexico, went horseback riding and white-water rafting in the Poconos.

Mary had many grandchildren and great-grandchildren; she loved each one of them and was always so happy when she spent time with them. Mary and Bill would have pancake Sundays with all the grandkids and play board games with them. Many sleepovers were held at Mom Mom’s house and she had the toy box in the den where all the kids would go first.

Mary enjoyed her flowers and plants. She also enjoyed all types of animals, especially birds. She always fed the birds and made sure they had plenty of water. It couldn’t be just plain bread, it had to be peanut butter bread broken into small pieces. Mary liked things to be done just the way she liked it.

As a child, Mary always wanted to know about God and the Bible. After searching for many years, she began studying the Bible. She loved what she was learning and was truly happy. She was baptized for over 50 years as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. She was grateful to her God for her life, family and friends she had. She spent many hours and days volunteering in her ministry teaching others about her kind and loving God, Jehovah, and the Bible.

Mary was a true and loyal friend to so many. Some friends go back many years and other friendships were just starting to blossom. She always had a big beautiful smile and a big hug to give. She gave so much love and was loved by her friends and family.

Mary was a daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and loyal friend. She lived a beautiful life and will continue on in Jehovah’s memory. One of her favorite scriptures is Revelation 21: 3, 4:

“With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: ‘Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his people. And God himself will be with them. And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.’”

Our family would like to express our sincere appreciation for all the prayers, visits, and many other acts of kindness shown during this difficult time.

With Love,

The Aiello and Wilson Family

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