"I've lost the love of my life, my future," her husband said.
Just days before she and her husband were to celebrate their first wedding anniversary, the loving mother with a "whimsical artistic soul" tragically died after getting badly injured in a workplace accident. Her family in Missouri is now trying to collect themselves as they mourn losing the young mom-of-two. Jessica Howe, 32, tripped, fell, and banged her head twice on April 15 while working at a Costco in St. Peters, NBC affiliate KSDK reported. "She was in the food court area and she went to the back sink area, fell and hit her head on the sink and then the ground," her husband, Kevin Howe, told PEOPLE. "Her coworkers heard the commotion and found her on the ground."
Jessica was hospitalized and put on life support, according to a GoFundMe account launched by loved ones. Two days later, on April 17, she passed away. Kevin says he is "feeling hollow, empty, and completely lost" since his wife died. "I've lost the love of my life, my future."
HEARTBREAKING💔 | Jessica Howe, 32, would have celebrated her one-year wedding anniversary this weekend. She slipped and hit her head on a sink and then the floor while working. https://t.co/pBLBM1P8xS
— WFMY News 2 (@WFMY) April 23, 2023
Jessica was reported to have passed away on April 17, just before 9 p.m. local time, surrounded by loved ones, according to the fundraising page. Her family said that her organs would be donated to "help save others." The fundraiser reads, "Even in death Jess was always trying to help others and made sure she was listed as an organ donor."
John, Jessica's 6-year-old son, "got to say goodbye to his mother" before she passed away, Kevin told PEOPLE. "While he can't totally comprehend the situation, he knows his mommy is gone and not coming back," Kevin said. Their 19-month-old daughter Serena "knows something is missing," he added. "Her routine is off. A person she saw every day is no longer around."
The pain is undeniable for Kevin Howe, sitting in his home next to pictures of him and his wife, Jessica Howe, on their wedding day. https://t.co/H2ef1hrSTa
— KMOV (@KMOV) April 21, 2023
Jessica was a fantastic mother, the grieving husband shared. "Her children adored her," Kevin said. "On her days off, she made sure to do all kinds of activities with them. She always wanted to make sure they knew how special they were." On Sunday, April 23, the couple was going to commemorate their first year of marriage. Kevin claims that right now he feels "apprehension" and is "terrified of a future without her."
Kevin, meanwhile, will stick to his original plan to move into a new rental home this weekend and spend time with his kids while "putting all her home decor up."
"I could talk for hours about the wonderful person she was," Kevin said of his wife. "She had the ability to turn total strangers into friends. Her smile lit up the room [and] she had a whimsical, artistic soul."
Expenses to help the family of Jessica Howe https://t.co/1nEyFlxV5x
— Robin Peterein (@RPeterein) April 17, 2023
References:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/expenses-to-help-the-family-of-jessica-howe
Cover Image Source: GoFundMe
