Visitation is from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Monday, April 27, 2015 at Johnson's Funeral Home. Mass of Christian Burial is at 10:00 on Tuesday, April 28, 2015 at Holy Angels Catholic Church with Fr. Charles Greenwell officiating. Pallbearers for the service will be: Grandsons Kevin Schniers and Ethan Pattie, Great-Grandson Gavin Schniers, Nephews Nate Poss of El Paso and Del Poss of Madison, Wisconsin, and longtime friends Pete Coxen of Plano, John Gonzalez and Pat Bales of San Angelo.
Mr. Howerton moved to San Angelo in July of 1941. He graduated from San Angelo High (Central) in 1951, attending San Angelo College (ASU) and Texas A & M from 1951-1953. In 1953 he joined the Air Force and served as a navigator on a B29 refueling plane, assigned to the Strategic Air Command at Bergstrom Air Force Base. He graduated from UT-Austin in 1959 with a degree in Business Administration. In 1961, he joined the FBI as a Special Agent serving in Minnesota, North Dakota, Las Vegas, Nevada, and Dallas, before retiring in 1983 from the San Angelo office. He accepted the job as Chief of University Police at ASU in 1983 and retired in 1997. He was an FBI firearms instructor for the FBI and San Angelo Police Department and taught other law enforcement agencies in West Texas. In his spare time he owned his own plane and spent hours in the air.
He married Ann Tetley in 1959 and they were blessed with four children. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, daughters Katie Howerton Landry and husband Mitch of Pflugerville, Martha Pattie and husband Ian of Houston, Lacy Wolfe and husband Tim of Mentor, Ohio, and son David Howerton and wife Tracy of Plano. He is also survived by grandchildren Kevin Schniers of Wall, Megan Schniers Martin of Frisco, Eliza and Ethan Pattie of Houston, Lauren Wolfe of Mentor, Ohio, and Logan Howerton of Plano and 5 great grandchildren, Gavin, Colton, and Bristol Schniers of Wall, and Hazel and Boone Martin of Frisco, sister Martha Poss and husband Delnor of Midland, and three nephews Nathan, Del and Mark Poss.
"I look at my wife and children around me, and each one in turn I embrace, each was a gift from my Maker, God has such wonderful taste. We travel between birth and death, we travel between the eternities, we live within the body God has chosen for each of us. When we say "Go" our body obeys and when we say "Stop" our body stops. Our body is simply a mode of transportation that takes us through the journey of life we have chosen. When we die we leave our body behind and live with God who created us.”
I leave the following message to my children and grandchildren. I hope you will remember me with an occasional thought and prayer. When you bury me please forgive my weaknesses and faults and any injustice I may be guilty of. Forgive me of my sins and ask God to forgive me. Remember that God granted me the gift of loving all of you and those to come. Those were His gifts to me the best one being Ann, you four children and all of you grandchildren.
Love: Your Dad and Granddad
Joel was an avid supporter of the military. In lieu of flowers please make a donation to Wound Warrior Project.
Family and friends may sign the online register book at johnsons-funeralhome.com.
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