U.S. Veteran
Wilbur Merlin Howard, 91, of Texarkana, Arkansas, died on Saturday, October 5, 2024, of natural causes at Cornerstone Retirement Community in Texarkana, Texas.
Mr. Howard was born on March 20, 1933, in Texarkana, Texas. He was retired from the Texarkana Arkansas School District – where he served many happy years as principal at College Hill and Trice Elementary.
A Texarkana boy by birth – and lifelong resident by choice – Wilbur spent nearly all his life in his beloved Glendale neighborhood.
While his parents ran a downtown dental supply business, Wilbur found adventure with his brother, Fred, and sister, Jean: roaming Texarkana on a scooter, fishing in the family’s pond, perfecting the art of the Halloween prank.
After graduating from Arkansas High and the University of Arkansas – where he played saxophone in the Razorback Marching Bank – Wilbur served as first lieutenant in the U.S. Army Signal Corps, stationed in Stuttgart, Germany.
On returning to Texarkana, he met and married Martha, and the two embarked on a 60-plus-year adventure of teaching Texarkana’s kids and raising two of their own.
Alongside that, Wilbur earned a master’s from Henderson State University. He coached soccer, square danced, and sang in church choirs. He sold Electrolux vacuum cleaners door to door on Saturdays and made his screen debut as an extra in The Town That Dreaded Sundown.
In retirement, Wilbur loved traveling with Martha and their children. He earned a ham radio license and volunteered with Miller County Emergency Services. Under Martha’s direction, he kept up their 100-year-old house on Ash Street, a block from where he grew up.
He was a cat-lover, airplane enthusiast, and devotee of Glenn Miller and Peter the Great. Meticulous mower of lawns and a stringer of Christmas lights. Fixer of bicycles and builder of swing sets. An early adopter of email as a medium for disseminating naughty jokes.
He took in stray kittens; left Christmas toys and turkeys on porches for poor families; and had a soft spot for the kids whose only place of safety was school.
Wilbur loved his family and friends fiercely – and was well-loved in return. He will be missed in equal measure.
Wilbur was preceded in death by his wife of 63 years, Martha; parents Fred Sr. and Myrtle; brother Fred Jr. and sister Jean Howard; sister-in-law Lucy Spencer and brother-in-law Elden Spencer; sister-in-law Polly Anna Trickey and brother-in-law William “Dub” Trickey; nephews Fred Howard III, Bobby Lee Trickey and Bill Trickey; and niece Phyllis Lynn Sieroslawski.
He is survived by daughter Heather and wife Penny of London, UK; son John and partner Ramin of London, UK; sister-in-law Alice Howard of Texarkana, Texas; nephews Richard Howard of Texarkana, Texas and Keith Larey of Sherwood, Arkansas; nieces Teresa Norton of Tyler, Texas, and Dinecia Zeps of Des Arc, Ark; his longtime caregiver and friend Darlena Brown; and a host of friends and former students.
The family thanks everyone at Cornerstone Retirement Community – the staff and Wilbur’s fellow residents and friends – for helping make these past few years happy, healthy ones. Thank you, especially, to Darlena Brown for everything you have done for the Howards – you are forever part of our family. And we’re grateful beyond measure to Hospice of Texarkana for the comfort and care you’ve provided in our most difficult days.
Visitation will be from 1:00 PM to 2 PM on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, at Texarkana Funeral Home, 3515 Texas Blvd., followed by funeral services at 2:00 PM. Burial will be at Memorial Gardens. The family invites you to visit them in the auditorium at Cornerstone Retirement Community, 4100 Moores Lane, following the burial.
Online registration is at www.texarkanafuneralhome.com.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations go to Hospice of Texarkana: www.hospiceoftexarkana.org, (903) 794-4263.
