John Howell Wilson

John Howell Wilson, 63, passed away at his home on Tuesday, February 8, 2022.  

John was born February 5, 1959, to Norman Wilson and Leah Wilson in Wichita Falls.  John graduated from Community High School, Nevada. TX in May 1977.  After graduation, John worked at Plaskolite and Triangle Pacific in McKinney, TX before returning to his hometown late summer of 1980.  His full and varied career included being a bouncer at Madison’s, a stint at Wilson Mfg., Johnson Control at Shepard AFB, then several years with The Romoser Co. before going out on his own as a painting contractor, establishing his own business, Coat of Many Colors.  John was preceded in death by his parents and grandparents Margaret Pridgen, Forrest Pridgen, and Homer and Grace Wilson.  John is survived by his son, Adam Robert Wilson; siblings Sara Wilson Gamble (Art); Norm Wilson; and Tom Wilson (Lori); aunts Sally Harris (Zeek), Marcine Guyon (Scott), and Jo Ann Henk;  cousins Holly Grabow Magazzino (Giovanni), Gil Grabow, Anthony Lee (Gina), Nancy Turner (Scott), James, Matteo, and Luca Magazzino, Amy Blanke (Nick), Tyler Lee ( Cherrell), Madison Dutton (Tyler), Natalie Martin, and Laura Loreman; nephews Thomas Wilson (Jodi), Daine and Baylor Wilson, Quinn and Roman Wilson, Chad Gamble (Brenda) and Brandon Gamble; nieces Lilly-Grace Leah Wilson, Mary Gamble, and Layla Oldham. Two other very important survivors are his fur babies: Esther and Roxie.  They LOVED John and missed him terribly when hospital stays kept him away from home. They were a source of comfort and companionship that meant the world to him.
In 2015, John was given six months to live following a diagnosis of Stage IV Metastatic Renal Carcinoma.  God used that life event to bless him with a fantastic six-year ministry as a Field Evangelist and Prayer Warrior.  He touched many, many lives from all walks of life.  His primary goal was to serve the Lord and lead as many as possible to trust Jesus Christ as their savior. John had trusted Jesus when he was young, but it was not until his cancer diagnosis that his relationship with God deepened significantly. He enthusiastically prayed for and witnessed to individuals and shared his encouragement and love everywhere he went.  He loved his church families.  Most recently, John had worshipped at House of Empowerment Ministries and was thoroughly committed to his role in their programs.  It was meaningful and fulfilling for John to be immersed in that body of believers.  He also attended Heritage Church and loved working in the children's ministry.  John maintained friendships in the Heritage family, as well as in the Grace Church family.  He considered his second church the Victory Christian Center in Houston.  He regularly listened to podcasts and found them to be great companions and sources of encouragement as he drove to medical appointments.  He was blessed to be able to travel to Houston in November 2021 and meet the pastors and prayer team members at Victory Christian Center who had been praying for him since his diagnosis.  
The Wilson clan is fortunate to have good singing voices; however, John was the one to truly develop his voice.  He worked with some of the best voice coaches in Wichita Falls.  He met many new friends through his love for music, and was fortunate to perform with the University Chorale at Midwestern State University, productions with the Wichita Falls Community Orchestra, musicals at Wichita Theater and Backdoor Theater, as well as weekly at his church.  He sang at Grace Church, Heritage Church, and House of Empowerment Ministries. His friendships through music were too numerous to count.  He began singing the National Anthem countless years ago and was requested many times to sing at patriotic events.  He became a part of the Wildcats Hockey Team crew when they requested that he sing at all home games.  John was honored to sing the National Anthem.  It was meaningful to him and the importance of singing it never diminished.  He was very patriotic and he never overlooked the opportunity to tell our military and law enforcement members of all communities how much he appreciated them.  Along with musical opportunities, John volunteered for several years with Special Olympics.  He adored the people who competed and loved being a part of the awards ceremony at the end.  He had a special place in this heart for Special Olympians. Another long-time interest was powerlifting.  John began powerlifting decades ago and did well when he competed.  That interest led to the transition to over 25 years as a high school powerlifting judge. He also trained aspiring powerlifters.  He made friends all over North Texas from going to meets.   A goal John pursued was resuming playing the bass guitar after a long break.  He was progressing well and was thankful to enjoy another avenue of musical interests.  John celebrated 10 years of sobriety in October 2021 and sponsored many on the journey of recovery.  He led recovery programs at Compassion Church, the Allred Unit of TDCJ, and Hope Center Ministries.  
The tributes to John are many.  The ones shared here are just a fraction of the heartfelt thoughts.

"He is irreplaceable.  There is a void that can never be filled.  His heart held so much, it couldn't hold anymore."
"He lived so large for so long."  
"I'm that much better of a man for having known him. God bless you. I love you brother, see you on the other side."
"I can’t believe that I will never hear your big, booming laugh again or almost literally pray up a storm with you. Thank you so much for your friendship and your love. Thank you for making me feel seen, heard, appreciated, and respected. You know that I so admire your dedication to the ministry that God brought to you in the wake of your recovery. You honored that every day of your life and so many people will get to know the same Glory that you now know. They will know our Father because of your obedience."  
"He was absolutely the best, and loved by so many!! He touched my  life and I will miss him dearly!"
The celebration of John's life will be on Thursday, February 24 at 2:00 at Grace Church, 5214 Stonelake Dr. with Reggie Coe officiating.  In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations in memory of John to Special Olympics,710 Lamar St. Suite 430, Wichita Falls, TX  76301 or to House of Empowerment Ministries via their website heministrieswf.com  
 

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