June 1, 1960 – Dec. 23, 2021
Howard Thayne Houston, 61, passed away at home Dec. 23, 2021, in St. George, Utah, surrounded by his sweet wife and children after a long battle with cancer. He was born on June 1, 1960, in St. George, Utah, to Howard Clark Houston and Mary Grace Sullivan Houston. He married Miriam Dean on March 14, 1986, in the St. George Temple.
Thayne was born in and lived his entire life in St. George. He attended East Elementary, Dixie Middle School, Dixie High School, Dixie College and SUU. He received his bachelor’s degree in business administration and was involved in student government. He served a full-time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic from 1978-1980.
After graduating from SUU, he got his real estate license and then his real estate broker’s license and became the managing Broker for ERA Brokers Consolidated. He graduated with his ABR, GRI, CRB and Top Gun. A few years later he bought his father’s ownership in the company and became a partner in the company. He was the principal broker of ERA for nearly 35 years and trained thousands of agents during his career. He also had his broker’s license in Nevada, Arizona and Idaho.
He was a commissioner for the Utah Department of Commerce Division for Real Estate, he was chairman of the St. George Chamber of Commerce. He was awarded the Business Integrity Honoree Award for the St. George Chamber of Commerce. He was entered into the ERA Hall of Fame. He was a Gene Francis Memorial Award nominee and winner.
Thayne was heavily involved in the community as president for the Washington County Board of Realtors, Leadership Dixie, and board of directors for the Utah Association of Realtors. He helped ERA Brokers Consolidated become the #3 Company in Units & Volume in the National ERA Franchise Systems.
Thayne loved the mountains and spending time with his family at the family ranch. Fun for him was working on projects at the ranch: repairing and building fences, improving roads on the tractor, using the chainsaw to get a load of firewood. He also loved four-wheeling, deer hunting, games and yummy food and cookouts at the ranch.
Thayne learned to water ski in the Ivins reservoir at a young age and was an excellent water skier and boatman and annual trips to Lake Powell were a favorite. He was a great idea guy and loved to gather people and have a good time. He was always up for an adventure and liked traveling and exploring new places.
Thayne was an Eagle Scout and received the District Award of Merit from the Boy Scouts of America. He served in many capacities in scouting throughout the years. Thayne also enjoyed being an EMT with Dixie Ambulance for seven years.
He is survived by his wife, Miriam Dean Houston; children, (Sam) Whitney Schofield, Sandy, Utah, Jordan (Sunnie) Houston, St. George, Utah, (Shane) Mindy Wright, Washington, Utah, Janessa Houston, St. George, Utah, (Nic) Kim McIlrath, St. George, Utah, and Jeffrey Houston, St. George, Utah; three grandsons and one granddaughter; mother, Mary Grace Houston, St. George, Utah; siblings: (Mark) Sherri Scoffield, Fresno, California, (Kevin) Debbie Ence, St. George, Utah, (Tom) Carma Hiatt, Enterprise, Utah, (Sherrie Fox), St. George, Utah, (Kenyon) Marcia Benson, St. George, Utah, (Billy) Sandra Given, St. George, Utah, John (Natalie) Houston, St. George, Utah; as well as many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his father, Howard Clark Houston; and brother, Gregory Clark Houston. The family would like to thank Dixie Home Rehab and Hospice for their kind care and support.
Funeral services will be held Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021, at 11 a.m. at Metcalf Mortuary located at 288 West St. George Blvd., St. George, Utah, 84770. Visitations will be held from 6-8 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 29 and Thursday, Dec. 30 from 9:30-10:30 a.m. at Metcalf Mortuary. A livestream link will be provided by Metcalf Mortuary for those wanting to join remotely. If you are feeling unwell, the family would appreciate your participation via livestream instead of in person. Interment will be in the St. George Cemetery.
Arrangements entrusted to the care of Metcalf Mortuary, 435-673-4221. For condolences, full obituary, and funeral listings visit Metcalf Mortuary’s website www.metcalfmortuary.com.