In Memory of Howard Warren

Howard Edward Warren of Red Oak, Oklahoma, 83, passed away on October 17, 2023. His funeral will be at 11:00 a.m. Monday, October 23, 2023, with a viewing before from 8:00 to 10:30, at the Waldrop Funeral Home in Wilburton, Oklahoma.

Howard was the son of Ray and Hattie Gray Warren. Born on January 21, 1940, Howard attended Panola High School until he graduated in 1958. Having attended barber school in Fort Worth, Texas during the summer of 1956, he moved to Texas after graduation, and ultimately settled in Odessa, Texas, where he owned a barber shop. In 1985, Howard moved to El Paso, Texas, where he became a pawn broker, owning two shops until 1998. He returned home to Oklahoma in 1998, where he was a cattleman until 2022.

During all his professions, Howard loved the rodeo, competing in team roping events for several decades across the southwest. He continually placed or won in these competitions, and met famous people along the way who share his avocation, such as singer George Strait and actor Kiefer Sutherland. Also an avid pool player, he competed, and placed or won, in many amateur competitions until his late 70s.

A man of singular wit with a familiar way, Howard made countless friends wherever he lived. Valuing companionship and loyalty, he had close comrades across all ages and professions, from teens to octogenarians, and from roughnecks to bankers. Almost everyone has a “Howard Story” that typically displays his humor or kindness.

Howard is survived by his two sons, Daniel and Bill; his stepson Shawn and his stepdaughter Tammie; his brother Charlie; his nephews Jerry Warren and Alan Copeland, and nieces Marilyn Warren and Carolyn Rowland; and, his longtime companion Becky Adams and her children Adam, Josh, Auboneigh, Cheyenne and Dalton.

Pallbearers are Jared Brown, Charles Glenn, Chucky Glenn, Jeremy Hill, Gavin Russell and Jamie Russell.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the American Cancer Society or the local chapter of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in memory of Howard Warren.