Carol Spencer Howard

Carol Margaret Spencer Howard was born February 24, 1944 to Thomas Glendon Spencer and Margaret Merle Jackson in Great Bend, Kansas. Her father worked as a temporary civilian employee at a facility there during World War II. After the war the family moved back to Fannin County, Texas, the ancestral home of the Spencer and Jackson families.

Carol Spencer grew up in an old Victorian two-story home built on a couple of acres of land set far back from the road. As a child she enjoyed nature, pets, and the family farm. From a young age she also loved books, reading and writing. Her mother, a Latin and English teacher, gave her the space and time to develop these skills with little interference from family chores. In 1962, she graduated salutatorian from Bonham High School, then attended Baylor University where she earned a B.A. in Journalism. While at Baylor she worked as a writer for the Lariat, the university newspaper, and served as editor of Iscani, Baylor’s literary magazine. During her time at Baylor she was awarded a student guest editorship at Mademoiselle Magazine and lived in New York City one summer. After graduating, she reported for the Waco Tribune-Herald as an obit and feature writer. Her writing career took her to Philadelphia where she worked as a writer on the Farm Journal, a national publication. Moving back to Texas she reported for the Houston Post.

Moving again to Austin in the early 70’s, she earned a master’s degree from the University of Texas in Library Science and served in public school libraries in Austin, Del Valle and San Antonio. She married William Neal Howard, another librarian from the UT Graduate Library School, on December 31, 1977. Carol gave birth to Morgan William Howard in January of 1981. She worked for approximately 20 years as a librarian in various public schools. After retirement she continued to devote herself to various projects such as real estate investments, donations to the homeless, feeding wildlife and making charitable contributions in many areas. She wrote, producing a comic series, as well as fictional and biographical pieces. She died at her home in the early August.

She is survived by her son, Morgan Howard, and granddaughter, Gabrielle Joy Howard.

Celebrating the life of a “Literary Warrior,” Carol Spencer Howard.

A graveside memorial service will be held on Saturday, September 21st, 2024 from 10AM-11AM. Tent and chairs will be provided and a pavilion to use if weather turns bad.

This ceremony will led by Bonham’s First Baptist Church Pastor Andrew Malone at Willow Wild Cemetery: 1220 West 7th St, Bonham, TX 75418.

You are welcome to RSVP to Carol’s son, Morgan Howard, at 832-622-4971 or [email protected]