Mr. Thomas B Howard Jr.

HOWARD, Thomas B. Jr., age 86, died on July 9, 2015. He was born in Meridian, Mississippi on July 31, 1928. He was preceded in death by his parents, Thomas Bailey Howard and Lucille Mackey Howard, and by his brother, Henry Mackey Howard. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Mary Francis, his children Mary Elizabeth Schleier of Dallas, Thomas R. Howard of Austin, Dr. William S. Howard of Dallas, Laura Howard Heyser of Houston, and his ten grandchildren, as well as two sisters, Betty Brinkley and Ann Bowers, and numerous nieces and nephews. Tom was a devout member of Holy Trinity Catholic Church and will be remembered for his generosity and dedication to family and faith. Although his grandchildren grew up in three different cities, thanks to “Daddy Tommy,” they know each other well, having spent many wonderful times together at the beach and at the lake.

Tom graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology in 1953 with a degree in Industrial Engineering. He completed the program for Management Development at the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration. He held various executive positions with Gifford-Hill & Company, a construction materials company, from 1969 to 1986 and served as Chairman and CEO from 1986 to 1989. Gifford-Hill was acquired by Beazer PLC (UK) in 1989 and Tom served as Chairman and CEO of the successor company, Beazer USA, and as a director of Beazer PLC until his retirement in 1992. He served as a director of Beazer Homes USA, Lennox International, Inc., RepublicBank Dallas, First RepublicBank Dallas and Dallas Corporation. He also served as a director of the Dallas Chamber of Commerce, Chairman of Leadership Dallas, a member of the Dallas Citizens Council and as a director of United Way. Other past service includes the Board of Trustees of the Methodist Hospitals Foundation, Advisory Council of the University of Texas at Dallas, Trustee of the UTD Management School Foundation, member of the Board of Councillors at the University of Dallas and President of the Board of Trustees of the Irving Hospital Foundation. He was also a Fellow and director of the Legacy Center For Public Policy.

A memorial service will be held at Christ the King Catholic Church, 8017 Preston Road, Dallas, Texas 75225, on Friday, July 17, at 10:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Holy Trinity Center in memory of Tom Howard, 3825 Gilbert Ave, Dallas, 75219, or to the charity of your choice.