By RAUL GARCIA JR | The Mercedes Enterprise 

Eddie Howell Sr. was a proud man. He was proud of his family, proud of his community, and proud of his lifelong service to Mercedes and his work.

On Monday, Howell, 77, passed away after a long battle with health issues. 

The announcement of Howell’s passing went viral on Facebook as many people who knew him sent their condolences to his family and  shared memories of the city leader.

Howell is best remembered for his leadership as an educator until he retired.

Howell was a life long resident of Mercedes. He proudly wore his Air Force ball cap around town. He could spend hours talking about his experience as a migrant farmworker, his time in the military, the books he wrote, the movies he produced with the underlining message that hard work pays off.

He volunteered into the USAF in 1969. He served one year in Vietnam as a ground/airborne radio operator coordinating air strikes in hostile areas. He received his B.S. and M.Ed. From Pan American University.  He did his post graduate work at Texas A&M University attaining certifications in adult and vocational programs. He retired after 31 years as a coach, teacher, counselor, and program director for various school districts in the Rio Grande Valley.

Inspired by their father, his sons Eddie Howell Jr. and Jacob Howell  entered the life of community services as their father had as school board member. Eddie, a school board member and Jacob, a city commissioner for Mercedes. 

Jacob Howell expressed his sadness for the loss of his father on Facebook. 

“Today is definitely the hardest, saddest, day of my life. To my inspiration, hero, and best friend. Thank you for always being there. May you rest in peace dad, no more suffering. God is with you. You will forever be in our hearts. I’m going to miss our conversations, your wisdom, jokes, and advice. Love you Dad. You touched many lives. Thank you for your service in education, community, and to this nation.”

Esmer Guerrero wrote on Facebook,  “RIP my dear friend, great loss to our community, thank you for your service to our country, forever in our hearts, till we meet again in God’s Kingdom.”

Michael Letty said, “Condolences to the Howell family. Your dad was quite wise and he really paid attention to the little things that made a student feel special. He once told me he knew my dad was proud of me because of the big smile he had when they announced my name at the baccalaureate.”

Oralia Acosta Sanchez said,  “Sending prayers and my most sincere condolences to you and your family. Mr. Howell a beautiful soul who always led by example and made a difference to those around him!!! I had the pleasure of knowing him and learned a lot from him.”