William Elery (Bill) Howard Jr., 79 of Victoria passed away peacefully on August 12 from complications of a rare form of Parkinsonism called progressive supranuclear palsy. Services were held on August 18 at Holy Family Catholic Church in Victoria. Howard served for many years as president and chief executive officer of Cuero-based TrustTexas Bank; after his retirement, he was named a member of the bank’s board of directors.

Born in Bryan in 1941, Howard attended Victoria College, Texas A&M University and the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University. He was a Vietnam veteran (U.S. Navy) and a member of the VFW and American Legion.

Howard began his banking career with First National Bank of Bryan under the tutelage of Travis Bryan Jr. and ended his career 50 years later with his beloved TrustTexas Bank. He served as a board member for the Cuero Chamber of Commerce, Cuero Development Corp., Alief Chamber of Commerce and Bryan-College Station Chamber of Commerce. He was also a member of the Bryan Boys Club, Rotary International, Lions Club, Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion and Masonic Lodge 129. He received numerous community service awards during his lifetime.

Howard is survived by his wife of 57 years, Peggy Tolbert Howard, his three children, Jay (Annette) Howard, Christy (William) Mason and Jess (Dana) Howard, 10 grandchildren and one great-grandchild, as well as numerous additional family members and friends.

The late E.T. Summers, chairman emeritus at TrustTexas Bank, once said of Howard: “Bill has always carried the Aggie Code throughout all of his years in banking—a spirit of leadership, courage under pressure during hard times and dedication to his employees.”