Howard Charles Mayer

Howard Charles Mayer, beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and friend, died peacefully on July 19 ^th in Duncanville, Texas, surrounded by family.  He was born November 3 ^rd , 1925 to Mae Moore and Charles Mayer in Newark, NJ.  Howard lived in Lyndhurst, NJ until he joined the Navy in June of 1944.  After two years of service in the Philippines, he returned to college and graduated in 1948. After graduation, he worked as an electrical engineer for General Electric (GE) in Lynn, MA.

While working in Lynn, MA, he met his wife, Jeanne Latour. They were married April 21, 1951, and over the years were blessed with four children, Jeannette, Barbara, Richard, and Evamarie.

He worked for GE for more than 37 years, while living in Lynn MA, Hawthorne, NY, Lincroft, NJ, and Mt Laurel, NJ. In 1987, after retiring from GE, they moved to Texas, where he and Jeanne became faithful and active members of Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Duncanville.

Howard had a passion for acting and assumed many roles in community theater groups. A highlight for him was playing the lead role in No Time for Sergeants . This role gave him the opportunity to meet with Andy Griffith, who played the same role during the late 1950s, in both the Broadway production and the movie.  This role also gave his children the opportunity to joyfully point out that Daddy (who jokingly told them every year during Lent that he was giving up “parachute jumping”) hung from a parachute during the performance, right in the middle of Lent! It also allowed him to perform the opening monologue from No Time for Sergeants to the delight of his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, for years to come.  After moving to Texas, Howard continued to pursue his love of acting at Cedar Valley College Theater.

Howard loved to run and participated in 5K, 10K, and half marathon races.  Over the years he won numerous medals and continued to run into his 90s.

Howard, along with his wife, Jeanne, made many friends as volunteers for the Dallas Running Club, the Desoto Police Department, and Holy Spirit Catholic Church. They facilitated a weekly Bible Study at Holy Spirit for many years. Howard also visited the sick in hospitals and rehabilitation centers. Howard received the Bishops Award for Service to the Church in 2017

He is survived by his wife, Jeanne; daughters: Jeannette Crenshaw and husband, Henry; Barbara Mayer-Jampolis and husband, Sam; Evamarie Richardson and husband, Rob; son: Richard Mayer and wife, Janet; grandchildren: Kathryn David and husband Brandon; Rebecca Crenshaw; Forrest Crenshaw and wife, Brittany; Holly Marrs, Scarlet Winters; Stephen Mayer and wife, Carly; David Mayer and wife, Miranda; Leah Raymond and wife, Stacey; great grandchildren: Sydney, Tyson, and Max Marrs; Thomas and Rhys David; Ellie Mayer; Everly Crenshaw.

He was loved by all who knew him and will be greatly missed.

A visitation will begin at 6 p.m. at Holy Spirit Catholic Church with a Rosary at 7 p.m. on Monday, August 12, 2019.

Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, August 13, 2019 at Holy Spirit Catholic Church.

Entombment with U S Navy Honors  will be at 10:15 a.m. on Wednesday, August 14, 2019 at Dallas/Ft. Worth National Cemetery, Dallas, Texas.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to DeSoto Texas Police Department, Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Duncanville, or Dallas Texas VNA Hospice.