Howard Victor Garrison

BROWNSVILLE, TX. – On Friday, the 24th of February 2023, the world lost a good man.

Born on September 25, 1928 to Victor and Anna Garrison, Howard Victor Garrison spent his childhood in northern Iowa with his parents and his sister, Verna Mae. As a boy, he loved to camp, hunt, and fish with his friends. “There was still a lot of woodlands back in those days and unless we were in school or at church, we’d be out running all over the forest: climbing trees, throwing rocks in the creek, or just out enjoying nature and thinking of what it was like in pioneer times.”

When he was seventeen, Howard lied about his age in order to enlist in the United States Marine Corps. “That was what we wanted to do. The war was going on and volunteer stations were everywhere and we just couldn’t wait until we had our chance to get out there and do our part.”

While in the Marines, he proudly served as a drill sergeant and a prison guard before being sent to the Pacific Theater where he was wounded badly enough to be sent back to the States. “Well, he got me, but I got him too and… he didn’t do nearly as well as I did…”

Back in San Diego, California, Howard was on a walk one day when he ran into an old acquaintance from Iowa. Miss Rosine Hanschu was in town visiting a relative when she and Howard recognized one another and began to talk. They were married soon after, and with his service in the Marines complete, the pair moved to Galveston, Texas and it was there they welcomed their first two children: Sandra Kay on November 15, 1948 and Pamela Gay on October 16, 1949.

The Garrison family soon relocated to Texas City, Texas where Howard began working for Union Carbide. Over the next few years, they welcomed two more children: Deborah Lynn on September 11, 1953 and Michael Alan on July 13, 1956.

Howard excelled at his job and before long the family moved to a newly-built plant in Brownsville, Texas where they stayed until he retired from the company decades later. Howard was very proud of the career he had with Union Carbide and spoke with tremendous love and respect of both the company and his coworkers for the rest of his life.

Howard and Rose had multiple hobbies and various interests. He had a profound interest in history and was a member of the local historical society. He enjoyed scouring regional battlegrounds for musket balls and bayonets or anything else he could find. These artifacts were then donated to the various societies and museums to help with the education and preservation of the history of the Rio Grande Valley.

Howard approached everything he did with tenacity. He was extremely meticulous and made sure that whatever he did was done well. After finding that retirement did not suit him, he ventured on what was essentially a second career as a volunteer docent for the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville. What started as something fun and interesting to do with his spare time ended up being an almost full-time job where he developed a loving kinship with many of the animals residing at the zoo. In later years he described his time at the zoo as some of the most interesting and fulfilling days of his life.

It is difficult to sum up a life, especially one as well-lived as his, in a few short paragraphs. Howard loved to read, to study, and to do and to see. He loved literature and science and art and technology. He was equally comfortable reading an historical account as he was writing one of his own. He loved his home and his family and his nation, and above all, he loved God. He had an unyielding faith in the Lord and knew that he would meet Him someday and thank Him for the blessings he’d been given.

On Friday, the 24th of February 2023, at the age of 94, Howard was reunited with his beloved Rose as well as their daughter Pamela and all the family and friends who went before. We ask that if you have any special memories of Howard Garrison, please share them in the comments. Thank you.

Visiting hours will be held on Tuesday, the 7th of March 2023 between the hours of six o’clock in the evening and eight o'clock at night within the East Chapel of Darling-Mouser Funeral Home.

A Chapel Service will commence at ten o’clock in the morning on Wednesday, the 8th of March 2023. Interment will immediately follow at Buena Vista Burial Park, 5 McDavitt Boulevard, Brownsville.

Memories of Howard may be shared at www.darlingmouser.com.

Personalized funeral arrangements directed by Steven R. Hieu Bailey and Staff have been entrusted to the care of Darling-Mouser Funeral Home at 945 Palm Boulevard in Brownsville, Texas 78520, (956) 546-7111.