William Howard

William Carlin Howard (Billy) passed away on July 22, 2024, in Monument, New Mexico. Billy was born in Shawnee Oklahoma, February 17, 1966, to Bob and Pam Howard. He was the second of three children. Billy went to St. Helena's Parochial School. He learned early on that he might have some athletic ability. Starting at PeeWee league baseball, at McKinney Park on the west side of Hobbs. At nine years old, he was catching behind the plate and already hitting homeruns. Boys Club PeeWee football was next. This was the beginning of a hard-hitting career in sports. Billy became an all-star in Little League Baseball, which carried him and selected teammates to the Western Regional All-Star Tournament, in San Bernadino, California. As he grew in age, with the help of our parents, Billy maintained a steady diet of baseball, football, basketball and track. By then, he had already attracted the attention of the coaches in Houston Junior High and Hobbs High School (HHS). While playing sports, Billy also worked at the family ranch. Hauling hay, working cattle, building fence were just part of what had to be done. He began falling in love with the ranch life. Billy became an incredibly strong-willed human being, with a growing physical strength. Hobbs High School sports benefited from this growth. Both the HHS football and baseball programs were fortunate to have Billy on their side. Again, it was a hard-hitting time when heads collided. Billy chose to continue playing baseball into college, attending the New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas, NM. After two years at New Mexico Highland, due to injury, he chose to stop playing sports altogether. Billy continued his education at Texas Christian University, Texas Tech University with his focus on Ranch and Range Management, and Animal Husbandry. He also went through the Oklahoma Horseshoeing School, to become a farrier. Billy went on to manage several feed lot companies, worked as a ranch cowboy with several large ranches in New Mexico and Texas, worked as an independent farrier for the same ranches, as well as holding real estate licenses in both Texas and New Mexico. During this time, he met Bethanne Frazee and they married in June 1995. Billy loved his family, including his daughter Ashlee Brooke. Billy adopted Ashlee as his own, during his marriage. Though, after 15 years, Billy and Bethanne did divorce in 2010. Billy was a rodeo dad! He helped develop his daughter Ashlee, into an excellent rodeo cowgirl. They traveled together from one rodeo to the next. It was during this time, the both of them developed an ever-growing father-daughter relationship. Billy also spent a lot of time, with his grandson Briar. Billy loved his parents, loved his siblings, loved his daughter, loved his grandsons, loved his grandparents, and loved his friends. Sometimes, he had a funny way of showing it. All the while; the motorcycle wrecks, the sports, the ranching, all caught up with him physically. Billy worked hard; and played hard. It's difficult to know the extent, though all of the impact on his body impaired him physically and neurologically. The amount of pain, that he dealt with, was extensive. He was one of the toughest guys, any of us ever knew! It all caught up with him. Billy had great faith in God. Though, he had a great many questions on why things had to be the way they were! Billy wanted to help people! He cared greatly! The friendships he nurtured are many! There will be many, many folks who will miss those lengthy phone calls and text messages. And the intensity that came along with those moments. He was a man of great conviction, and political opinion. Most of us knew which side of the political aisle that he stood on. One other thing - He loved music, whether it was live or on his playlist. Always sharing a song with someone!

Billy is survived by his daughter Ashlee Brooke (Johnny), grandsons Briar and Sage, brother Robert, sister Elizabeth, nephew Taylor, many aunts and uncles, and many cousins on both sides of the family. He leaves behind many friends, acquaintances, business partners and people he met along the way. He is preceded in death by his parents Robert and Pamela Howard, his grandparents Bill and Bruce Carlin, his grandmother Margaret Howard, great-grandmother Thelma Webber. We want this to be a time of laughter, tears, smiles and maybe more laughing;

As The Cowboy Rides Away.