Obituary ... Howie Katz
Howie Katz and his faithful doggie Jing Jing
Howard Aaron Katz, better known as Howie Katz, was born in Krefeld, Germany on March 1, 1927. In 1936, he and his parents arrived in the United States as refugees from the Nazi persecution of Jews.
After living in New York and Oklahoma, the family settled down in Marshall, Texas where Howie graduated from Marshall High School in 1943.
On his 17th birthday, Howie volunteered for the U.S. Army and served in the Pacific until his discharge in 1946.
The G.I. Bill enabled Howie to attend the University of Texas, the University of North Texas and Columbia University. He earned a Bachelor Degree (1950) and a Master Degree (1952) at the University of North Texas.
In 1952, he married Jean Feely, a brilliant young lady from Manchester, Oklahoma. Jean had her own claim to fame. When she was the assistant equipment manager (in charge of team jerseys) of the World Hockey Association's Houston Aeros, she became the first female in the U.S. allowed inside a professional sports team's dressing room immediately after the end of a game. The legendary Gordie Howe had fun popping her in the ass with his towel.
The 63-year-long marriage was a good one until Jean was struck down by Alzheimer's and subsequently passed away in 2015.
Howie began his law enforcement career with the Galveston Police Department not long after his discharge from the Army. He went on to California where he served with he Riverside County Sheriff's Department and later with the State of California. He also served as chairman of Supplemental Benefits for PORAC, an organization comprised of California law enforcement agencies.
In 1969 he accepted a faculty position at Sam Houston State University where he founded the Texas Narcotic Officers Association (TNOA), A year later he took over the law enforcement programs at College of the Mainland in Texas City where he remained as a Professor of Criminal Justice until he retired in 1993.
He then worked as a volunteer in his community. He first worked in the primate section of the Houston Zoo for eight years where in 2001 he was awarded the Kathryn Evers Morris Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service. He followed that up by volunteering with the Houston Police Department for eight years and finally 15 years at the Armand Bayou Nature Center.
Howie had a great ride. He did things most people can only dream about doing.
He made eight trips deep into the Amazon rain forest. In 1993, he and his son Nick were two of the very few outsiders who managed to visit with the primitive Yanomami Indians.
He traveled throughout Tibet in 2000 and spent a day at the17,000 feet high Mount Everest base camp. And in Ecuador he straddled the equator with one foot in the Northern Hemisphere and the other foot in the Southern Hemisphere.
And whenever he was in New York, Howie spent time with his friend world middleweight boxing champion Rocky Graziano.
Howie with Rocky Graziano in Rocky's man cave
Of all the things he accomplished, he was proudest of having founded TNOA.
Howie passed away on ....... .., ....
He is survived by his son Nick, his daughter Karen, his sister Doris, two granddaughters Shelby and Courtney, a police officer in McKinney, Texas and Courtney's daughter Capri.
Nick will take care of Howie's faithful doggie Jing Jing.
Howie's ashes will be entombed in a wall at the Houston National Cemetery for U.S. military veterans.
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