Houston Franklin James

Houston James departed this world peacefully on February 4, 2015, surrounded by family. Houston was born February 28, 1924 in Brooklyn, NY , the son of Viola Helen Tabaczynski and Houston F. James. He was the third of nine children and spent his youth in Pensacola, FL. He grew up on Santa Rosa Island for a number of years and rode the ferry to school on the mainland.

During the depression, he earned money by offering tours of Fort Barancas for tips. Apparently, the more colorful the tale, the bigger the tips. He developed his ability to tell tall tales at this time.

He enlisted in the US Navy at age 16 and after training was shipped to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. At the age of 17, Houston was present on December 7, 1941 during the attack on Pearl Harbor; a life changing event for a young man. He served in several capacities throughout the war, ending as a Chief Petty Officer on the USS Alabama, which was in the fleet at Tokyo Bay when the Japanese surrendered.

At the end of the war, Houston was diagnosed with tuberculosis and was hospitalized in upstate New York. There he met the love of his life, Marion Louise Tyo. They married on November 16, 1946 and shared 58 years together, raising six children: William Edward, Marion Louise, Robert Houston, Donald Alan, Helen Violet and Eva Marie.

For many years, Houston served as the President of the local chapter of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association. On December 7th every year he was involved in the memorial services held at Laurel Land Cemetery. He also designed the Pearl Harbor Memorials that stand in the Memorial Walkways at the DFW National Cemetery and the Punch Bowl National Cemetery in Hawaii. He spoke at local schools and handed out "Remember Pearl Harbor" buttons to children wherever he went. He considered it a personal mission to ensure that we never forget that day of infamy.

Houston earned his college degree from Rochester Institute of Technology in Publishing and Printing. He enjoyed a successful business career that took his family across the US. He settled in Dallas, TX in 1956, eventually opening his own graphic design business, Dimensional Designs. Marion also joined him in the running of the business and they retired in 1992. They then spent many years enjoying their time together at home in the garden with their family and friends.

Houston was pre-deceased by his loving wife of 58 years, Marion Louise, and his son, Robert Houston. He was survived by his children William James and wife Linda, Marion Terry and partner Clark, Donald James and wife Sheila, Helen Stewart and husband Keith, and Eva Toia and husband John. In addition, his grandchildren Carolyn Terry-Wilmot and her husband Roger Wilmot, Annie Terry and her husband Eric Normington, Ben James, Abbey Smart and her husband Whitten, Marion Wildes and her husband Kris, Katy Stewart, Troy Golden and his wife Stacey, Ryan and Jackson Smart. He is survived by great-grandchildren Dylan Golden, Noah and Devon Wilmot, Zoe, Beau and Tyo Normington, and Evan Wildes. He is also survived by his brother Bert Brown and his wife Arlene.

Funeral services include: Visitation and Rosary on Monday, Feb 9 from 6:00 – 8:00 pm at Sparkman-Crane Funeral Home, 10501 Garland Road, Dallas, TX 75218. Funeral Mass on Tuesday, Feb 10 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, 6306 Kenwood Ave, Dallas, TX 75214. Burial service following the mass will take place at Dallas-Ft. Worth National Cemetery at 2:15 pm.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be placed in his name at Honor Flight Network, a non-profit dedicated to providing veterans with honor and closure, honorflight.org.

Arrangements under the direction of Sparkman-Crane Funeral Home, Dallas, TX.