Henry is survived by his devoted wife of sixty years, Sally Carwile; his children John M. Carwile and his wife Stacy, David Carwile and his wife Crystal, Jennifer Blalock and her husband Leslie; his grandchildren John Henry Carwile and his wife Amanda, Seth Carwile, Jake Carwile, Cutter Carwile, Bailey Carwile, Colton Carwile, Rachel Homann, Luke Homann, Brenna Blalock and her husband JT, Bo Blalock and his wife Amy, and Brayton Blalock; and four great grandchildren.
He is preceded in death by his infant son, John Andrew Carwile, and his parents Henry Mills Carwile and Ila Mae Carwile.
The family gives special thanks to Dr. Shane Simpson and to the ladies at Monarch Care, Alice, Sherri, Tammi, Juanita, Aiyanna, Lacy, and Kristin for the wonderful care you each gave to Henry.
Henry spent his entire life in Montgomery. He lived with his parents in their home right in town. When he turned sixteen, his parents built a home on the land where his grandfather and father operated a dairy farm.
Henry received his Bachelor of Science in Animal Science at Texas A&M University and went on to obtain his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1965 from Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine.
He married Sally Ann Lybarger on September 18, 1965, and joined the U.S. Army. The couple moved to Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland where Henry served as a research veterinarian, achieving the rank of Captain.
After his military service, he continued his education at the University of Florida and Tulane University, receiving his Master of Science degrees in pharmacology and immunology in 1971 and 1972, respectively.
Henry moved home to the family farm in Montgomery in 1972. He had a keen interest in the role of immunology in health and disease research which led to his decision to pursue a career in what was then the emerging field of antibody technology.
What began as a small endeavor in his father’s converted dairy barns grew to what today is known worldwide as Bethyl Laboratories, Inc, where for over 50 years his employees lovingly called him “Doc”.
In addition to his educational and professional achievements, he has been a devoted husband and father, and member of his community serving as a 4-H leader, member of Montgomery ISD school board, director of the Texas Farm Bureau, and founding member of the Montgomery County chapter of Young Farmers of America, among others.
In 2020 Henry received Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences Outstanding Alumni award. The nominators made the below statements about him.
“Henry is a subtle, rate talent, and self-made entrepreneur who grew up in the small Texas town of Montgomery where he remains today, providing leadership for community development and well-being, a superb example of the American private enterprise system.”
“Throughout his journey, Henry has remained the same soft-spoken, kind person I grew up with. He is a man of impeccable integrity. He is an outstanding graduate of the CVMBS and is certainly most deserving of this prestigious award.”
“Although growing their business was first and foremost in their minds and efforts, Henry made time to become involved in [his] children’s lives and in the lives of others in Montgomery County.”
A celebration of life for Henry will be held at Old Dobbin Station, 2849 Old Dobbin Rd, Montgomery, TX 77316 on Sunday, October 12, 2025 beginning at 1:00pm with lunch provided.
In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to MD Anderson Cancer Center https://gifts.mdanderson.org
