Joy Howze

Joy Merritt Howze, 75, of College Station, passed away peacefully on October 22, 2021, surrounded by her husband and two daughters.

Joy was born on January 19, 1946, in Robstown, Texas, to Arthur Merritt, Jr., and Lois (Armstrong) Merritt. She grew up on the family farm, spending her days playing with the animals and reading under the trees. After graduating from Robstown High School, she attended Southwestern University in Georgetown, and received her B.A. in History from the University of Houston. She was a member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority.

In 1967, in Houston, she married her high school sweetheart, Jo. They were together for 61 years. After they married, Joy worked for IBM while Jo finished graduate school at Rice University. They then lived in Brazil for 18 months, where Jo taught at the Catholic University in Rio and Joy taught History and English at the American School. In 1972, when Jo received an Electrical Engineering faculty position at Texas A&M University, they settled in College Station and raised their family. Joy devoted her life to her family, took wonderful care of them day in and day out, and created a warm, loving, and welcoming home. She loved her daughters, Janet and Joan, and was always there for them through thick and thin. Joy adored her five grandchildren, and was an important part of their lives. The grandchildren will especially remember the wonderful holidays at Mom and Pop’s house. Joy had many interests and pastimes, including reading, gardening, needlepoint, volunteering, birds, and her many cherished dogs.

Joy is survived by her devoted husband Jo William Howze; daughter Janet Devlin and husband Matthew of Austin; grandsons Patrick Devlin and Andrew Devlin of Austin; daughter Joan Zurovec of Burleson; grandsons William Zurovec and Adam Zurovec, and granddaughter Emma Joy Zurovec, all of Burleson; brothers Gordon Merritt and Lynn Merritt, both of San Antonio; sister Shirley Carawan of Roanoke, Texas; several nieces and nephews; her longtime dear friend Jean McDermott of College Station; and many other friends who meant the world to her. She was predeceased by her parents, Arthur and Lois Merritt; sisters-in-law Caroline Merritt and Carol Merritt; and niece Stacey (Carawan) West.

In lieu of flowers, the family encourages donations to the Alzheimer’s Association (www.alz.org), or to Voices for Children / CASA of Brazos Valley (www.vfcbrazos.org), where Joy volunteered her time and energy helping children navigate the foster care system.

A memorial service for Joy is set for 10:00 am, Friday, November 5, 2021, at Callaway-Jones Funeral Center, 3001 South College Avenue, Bryan.

To share in Joy’s online memorial, please visit www.callawayjones.com

Funeral arrangements are by Callaway-Jones Funeral and Cremation Center, 3001 South College Avenue, Bryan, Texas 77801.