He never looked for praises His dreams were seldom spoken
He was never one to boast His wants were very few
He just went on quietly working And most of the time his worries
For the ones he loved the most. Went unspoken too.
He was there...a firm foundation A true friend we can turn to
Through all storms of life When times were good or bad
A sturdy hand to hold on to One of our greatest blessings
In times of stress and strife. The man we call DAD.
Smith Wesley Howard, Jr. was born on March 22, 1944, to Hazel Balthazar Howard and Smith W. Howard, Sr. in Berkeley, California. A child of educators, he continued that legacy and was a servant leader both inside and out of the classroom for his entire life. He graduated from Holy Spirit Elementary School and H. B. Pemberton High School in Marshall, Texas. Smith was a proud graduate of Xavier University in New Orleans, LA., where he majored in French and was affectionately known as “Smitty”. At Xavier University, Smith met the love of his life, Janice Rouzan, on the first day of college where they became joined at the hip, attending every undergraduate class together except one as French majors in what many would call a “storybook” romance.
Understanding that there was freedom in education, Smith began his journey as a servant leader at Xavier University, spending his free time on social justice issues, such as helping to register African American voters and teaching classes to prepare unregistered voters to pass the literacy test. A lifelong scholar, Smith acquired his Master’s Degree in Counseling from Southeastern Oklahoma University in Durant, Oklahoma. Smith worked tirelessly for forty-four years in DISD, teaching, mentoring and counseling thousands of students from J. N. Ervin, Roosevelt and Lincoln High Schools, retiring in 2011.
It is said there is only one thing more precious than time and that is who we spend it with. Smith gave of his time freely to his family as a devoted son, husband, brother, father, uncle, godfather and grandfather. He assisted as a soccer coach for his two sons, Mark and Stephen, never missing a practice, event or game, continuing this tradition of being present with his grandchildren, Gabrielle, Sean, Jayda, Ayden, and Isabella.
Second only to his devotion to his family was his passion for helping others achieve their potential as he spent much of his time supporting the students and institutions he worked in DISD and his alma mater, Xavier University. On any night you could find “Smitty” representing Xavier University at various college fairs across the metroplex. He was also active in the Catholic Church and served as a Eucharistic Minister at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church for many years, including service on the Diocesan School Advisory Board, Unity Explosion Steering Committee, United Commission of Black Catholics and a host of other church-related activities. His service exemplified his devotion to his Catholic faith.
A quiet giant, standing at six feet and three inches, Smith left an imprint on all who crossed paths with him. Stories abound of him empowering students to not only attend college but succeed in college and life. True to his character, he never took credit for these selfless acts of servant leadership. Character and integrity were ingrained in Smith’s DNA. He never forgot his values and morals and always took action for what he believed. A voracious reader, Smith not only enjoyed reading about other cultures but visiting them as well, traveling the globe with wife Janice, always with a glass of wine in hand.
Smith will not only be remembered by his unique telephone goodbye (abrupt hanging up) but by the fact that he lived life to its fullest. Although he passed at a young age of 74, every year of his life was filled with meaning and purpose. While we are sad that we are now without his witty commentary on any and every subject, we rejoice because his pain and suffering are now over as his legacy lives on. Please pray for his family, but in particular his wife, Janice, who never left his side through his long and sometimes tortuous battle with cancer. Any who were lucky enough to meet them felt their unconditional love. On November 2, 2018, after his last grandchild arrived, Smith’s family gathered and kissed him goodbye with his favorite jazz melodies playing in the background. As his loving wife held his hand, Smith’s soul peacefully joined the heavenly hosts.
Smith is preceded in death by his parents, Smith and Hazel, brother, Nicholas, sister-in-law, Sheila, and brothers-in-law, Oscar and George. We rejoice in our love and leap for joy at his life: wife, Janice; sons, Mark and Stephen; grandchildren, Gabrielle, Sean, Jayda, Ayden, Isabella; sisters, Carole and Vicki; sisters-in-law, Sandra and Gwen; brothers-in-law, Sherbie and Joe; daughters-in-law, Tracey and Javin; nieces & nephews, Kevin, Howard, Nicholas, Rodney, Leah, Aliya, Allison, Aaron, Linda, Donna, Angie, David, Alan; and great nieces & nephews, Alicia, Anita, Lea,
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