Roll Call Tribute

Lester Howard Callaway, II 

September 18, 1933 - March 21, 2024 

Howard Callaway, 90, passed away peacefully surrounded by his children on March 21, 2024, in Conroe, Texas. He was born September 18, 1933 in Houston, Texas to Lester Howard Callaway and Mary Jess (Brown) Callaway. He married Virginia Faye (Pigue) his high school sweetheart on August 20, 1955. They were married 60 years until her death in 2016.

Howard attended Park Place Elementary, Deady Junior High and graduated with Honors from Milby High School all in Houston Texas. He graduated from Texas A&M University with a double degree in Petroleum and Geological Engineering in 1956. As a member of the Corps of Cadets he was in the marching band playing the trumpet for 5 years.

Howard, a Petroleum and Geological engineer consultant, had a distinguished career that spanned the globe. He began his professional journey at Gulf Oil Corp. and later worked for Mene Grande Oil Co. in San Tome, Venezuela. Throughout his career, he consulted for various companies drilling oil/gas wells on and off shore in places such as The North Sea, Southern Argentina and Northwest Argentina, Venezuela, Congo West Africa, Trinidad Tobago, Indonesia, Sharjah (United Arab Emirates) and more. Locally, he was involved in drilling, completion and workover oil/gas wells in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and the Gulf of Mexico. He was also the founder of Tall C Inc., a reserve pit restoration company.

As a youth he worked for his father (Callaway Mortuary) during the summer driving the ambulance/hearse, participating both in funerals and accident scene retrievals. He also worked for a construction crew manning a jack-hammer in the building of Interstate Highway 45 in Houston.

He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Virginia Faye, son Stephen Lemuel Callaway, father and mother. Howard was deeply devoted to his family. He is survived by 3 of his 4 children, Lester III (Les) and wife Celetta, Rae and Erin and husband Scott Mcilhany. 4 grandchildren Virginia Callaway and husband Adam Allegrucci, Lester Callaway IV and his wife Roberta, Caroline Callaway and husband Eric Hafner, and Steven Mcilhany He was blessed with 4 great-grandchildren Henry Hafner, George Callaway, Harper Hafner and Hayes Hafner, his sister Elaine Callaway Yates and brother Donald Wayne Callaway, and numerous nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews.

Howard, a lifelong Christian, was an active member of the Park Place Methodist Church during his youth and later became one of the founding members of Cypress Bible Church in Cypress, Texas. He hosted the church summer pot-lucks at his home for years with horse rides, zipline and volleyball activities.

He earned his Eagle Scout with Order of the Arrow while in the Boy Scouts of America. He was active in fast pitch softball leagues as well as the donkey softball leagues in San Tome.

Visitation will begin at 1pm with Memorial Service following at 2:00pm Friday, April 12, 2024 at Callaway-Jones Funeral Center, 3001 S. College Ave. Bryan Texas 77801