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Howard Walton Stell was born in Houston, Texas, on November 22, 1924, to Harley Pressley and Sadie Milby Stell. During the first twelve years of his life, Howard lived in and attended school in Houston. In 1936, during the deepest years of the depression, the family moved to Morales in Jackson County where Howard and his older brother, Harley, Jr., attended school in a small two-room school for two years. In 1938 Howard was county valedictorian of Jackson County and was graduated from Edna High School in 1941 as salutatorian of his class. Shortly after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, Howard enlisted in the United States Navy where he was assigned to the Navy Air Arm. He was sent to the South Pacific theater where he served in a bombing and patrol squadron which was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation, and Howard was awarded the Navy Air Medal on three separate occasions. After his discharge from the Navy, Howard elected to use his G. I. Bill to attend college at Texas A & I where he studied pre-law and met and married, on December 26, 1946, Barbara Lorraine Savage. Barbara was the daughter of Hamilton W. Savage, Sr., and Eva Robbins Savage, both descendants of pioneer families who settled Matagorda County during its formative years. Barbara was born on October 23, 1926, on the family's ranch south of Bay City. She attended Sexton School and Bay City schools, and was graduated from Bay City High School as salutatorian of her class. Howard and Barbara moved to Matagorda County in 1948. Howard and Barbara were the parents of three daughters: Eva Anne, who married Dr. Robert M. Malina, Professor of Anthropology at The University of Texas. Eva received her PhD from The University of Texas. They were the parents of Robert Fredrick, Eva Elizabeth and Stephen Howard Malina. Barbara Susan, who married John N. Hutson who was employed at Matagorda Development Farming, Inc. Susan received her B. S. degree from The University of Texas and in 1984 operated a day school near Wadsworth. They had three children: Howard Bryan, John Stewart and Carrie Robbins Hutson. Rebecca Lee, who married Paul David Hulin, a sales engineer for Dresser Atlas Corporation, and resided in San Antonio. Becky received her degree from The University of Texas in Deaf Education. They were the parents of Melissa Catherine and twins, Clarissa Lorraine and Mary Cassandra Hulin. Eva, Susie and Becky were members of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. Their collective nine children were members of the Children of the Republic of Texas. Howard and Barbara were both fifth generation Texans. They served the First United Methodist Church as youth counselors, Sunday school teacher, usher, board member and Wesley Class president. Howard was Democratic Precinct Chairman at Wadsworth for many years. He served on the Matagorda County Hospital Board of Managers for twelve years, four of them as president of the board. During his term as president, both Matagorda General and Palacios General Hospital attained accreditation from the American Hospital Association and five new doctors were attracted to practice in Bay City and Palacios. Howard was a Mason, a member of both Bay City Lodge #865 and Matagorda Lodge #7, a 32nd degree Scottish Rite Mason, and a member of the Gulf Coast Shrine Club. He was also a member of the Sons of the Republic of Texas. Barbara was a member of and served in various offices of Parents Teachers Association, the Junior Service League, the Eastern Star, and several other local clubs. She was a member of the Mary Rolph Marsh Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Cradle of Texas Chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. She was also a charter member and past president of the Matagorda County Genealogical Society, and in addition to researching her own family, she was involved in the publication of the Matagorda County history, Historic Matagorda County. In 1981 Howard and Barbara traveled to Europe where they visited Weissenbach, Germany, the village from which her great-great grandfather, Johann Conrad Franz, emigrated. They also spent time in Kessel, Germany, the ancestral home of Howard's maternal great-great grandfather, Reverend J. J. Loudermilk who, at one time, preached at the Tres Palacios Baptist Church. Howard's interest in flying, which he acquired while he was serving in the United States Navy, continued in civilian life and he earned a Private Pilots License, and later a Commercial Pilots License. Because of a heart attack and subsequent by-pass surgery he was unable to pass his flight physical, therefore, this interest could no longer be enjoyed. He then became an enthusiastic boatman, and after a few years of operating a summer-time charter service, he passed the Coast Guard examination and received his Captain's License which granted him the right to operate vessels up to 100 tons as far as 100 miles offshore, encompassing an area from Brownsville, Texas, to Saint Marks, Florida. Howard and Barbara were rice famers and ranchers for over thirty years until the South Texas Nuclear Project bought their farm to make it part of the cooling lake for the project. They then each earned their Real Estate Brokers License and were still engaged in that business in 1984. In addition to their real estate business, Howard was a computer program designer, and they operated a computer and data processing service. Having access to a computer and a printer, as well as being a very competent word processor operator, Barbara volunteered to put the family histories submitted for Volume II of Historic Matagorda County onto floppy disks for transport to the publisher, a project which required almost two years, but proved to be interesting and educational.
Historic Matagorda County, Volume II,
pages 515-516, 1984 |
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Edna Weekly Herald, January 24, 1946 |
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Last Thursday, December 26, at Bay City, Mr. Howard Walton Stell, son of Mr. and Mrs. H. P. Stell of Edna, and Miss Barbara Lorraine Savage, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. H. W. Savage of Bay City, were united in marriage. After the wedding ceremony a reception honoring the newly weds was held at the Bay-Tex Hotel. The bride is a native of Matagorda County, a member of a pioneer family of that city. The groom was born and reared in Jackson County, and is the youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. H. P. Stell of this city. During the late war he was in the naval air corps and saw a great deal of combat service. He is now attending A. & I. at Kingsville. To these deserving young people the Herald extends congratulations and wishes for them a long life of happiness.
Edna Weekly Herald,
January 2, 1947 |
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BAY CITY - Barbara Lorraine Savage Stell Holloway, 86 (October 23, 1926-August 16, 2013) passed away peacefully at her home on the Pitchfork Ranch surrounded by her daughters. She came from a long ranching heritage and received the Cattleman of the Year Award in 1999 as did her mother and father in previous years. She was an avid supporter of the youth of Matagorda through the MCFLA Heifer Show & Sale. She was a lifelong member of the First United Methodist Church of Bay City & Susanna Wesley Class, Daughters of the American Revolution, Daughters of Republic of Texas, and Cattlemen's & Cattlewomen's Associations of Matagorda County. She was known throughout the community for her kind heart & generosity and was loved by many.
She is preceded in death by her parents Eva Robbins & Hamilton
Savage, Sr., her brother H.W. Savage, Jr., her husbands Howard W.
Stell & Edwin F. Holloway. Pallbearers are Bob Malina, John Hutson, Paul Hulin, Marshall Holloway, Robert Malina, Stephen Malina, Bryan Hutson, & Stewart Hutson. Honorary Pallbearers are Frank Southall, J. D. Gatson, and Spanky Durgan. Visitation will be Monday night 5-7 P.M. at Taylor Bros. Funeral Home and the service will be Tuesday, August 20 at 10A.M at First United Methodist Church in Bay City with Rev. Jack Hutson and Rev. Russ Munch officiating. Burial will be at Roselawn Memorial Park in Van Vleck. Memorials in her name may be made to Matagorda County Fair & Livestock Association; 4511 FM 2668; Bay City, TX 77414.
Online condolences may be shared with the family by visiting
www.taylorbros.net.
Published in the Victoria Advocate on August 18, 2013 |
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Funeral services for Howard Walton Stell, 66, of Wadsworth will be held 10 a. m. Thursday at the First United Methodist Church in Bay City with the Rev. Jim Welch officiating. Burial will follow at Roselawn Memorial Park in Van Vleck. Stell, a resident of Matagorda County for 40 years, was born Nov. 22, 1924 to Harley Presley and Saide Milby Stell and died in his home April 22. A veteran of World War II, he served in the U. S. Navy in the South Pacific, where his squadron was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation. He was awarded a Navy Air Medal on three separate occasions. Stell was a farmer and rancher, and in later years, a real estate broker. He was involved in many civic activities during his life. He served First United Methodist Church as youth leader, usher, board member and Wesley Class president. He was democratic precinct chairman at Wadsworth for many years. He served the Matagorda County Hospital Board of Managers for 12 years, four of them as president of the board. He was a 32nd Degree Scottish Rite Mason and a member of the Gulf Coast Shrine Club. He was also a member of the Sons of the Republic of Texas. Stell is survived by his wife, Barbara Savage Stell of Wadsworth. He is also survived by three daughters and sons-in-law, including Eva and Bob Malina of Austin, Susie and John Hutson of Wadsworth and Becky and Paul Hulin; nine grandchildren, Robert, Elizabeth and Stephen Malina of Austin; Bryan, Stuart and Carrie Hutson of Wadsworth and Melissa, Claire and Cassie Hulin of San Antonio. Other survivors include his brother- and sister-in-law, Harley and Regina Stell of Edna; two nephews, H. W. Savage III of Wadsworth and John Savage of Palacios; and a niece, Christy Ebere of North Carolina. Pallbearers include Dr Russell Matthes, Dr. TIllman Daniel, Cleve Lee, Robert Hutson, Melvin Epstein, Jim Warnock and Ed Reynal. Arrangements are with Taylor Brothers Funeral Home, Bay City.
Daily Tribune, April 23, 1992 |
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