Harvey Don Houston

HARVEY DON HOUSTON, a resident of Southaven, Mississippi and U. S. Air Force career person, died at 2 P. M. Wednesday, October 31, 2007 at the Baptist Desoto Hospital at Southaven where he had been a patient for two days.  He was 63 years of age and died unexpectedly from an apparent heart attack.

Funeral services for Mr. Houston were conducted at 3 P.M. Saturday, November 3rd at the Peebles Main Funeral Chapel in Somerville with Rev. Tony Watkins, Pastor of the Moscow Evangelical Full Gospel Church, officiating.  Interement, with full Military Honors, followed in the Evergreen Cemetery at Williston with personal remarks given by Charles McElwee at the graveside.  Arrangements were provided by the Peebles Fayette County Funeral Home - Main Chapel.

A native of Memphis, Mr. Houston was born May 25, 1944.  He was the son of Opal Faye Minor Houston and the late Walter Rhea Houston, longtime area educator who served as principal at Moscow before his retirement. Mr. Houston was a graduate of the Horn Lake, Mississippi High School were he was a star basketball player.  He served in the United States Air Force from 1978 until his retirement in 1998 and had been a resident of Southaven for the past seven years. He was married January 8, 2000 to the former Theresa "Terry" Myers Stratton, a Mississippi native and medical office employee in Memphis, who survives.

After military retirement, Mr. Houston served as a security officer for the Spanish Trail Development in LasVegas, Nevada and during this employment was recognized for saving the life of a Las Vegas resident.  He later returned to the Memphis area and recently retired after serving as a courier for the Park Avenue Diagonistic Medical Clinic in Memphis.

A sports fan and outdoor person, Mr. Houston enjoyed fishing, home inprovements and serving as a handyman for family and friends, He had a love for nature and looked forward each year to vacations in the mountains and Gatlinburg.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by two sons, W. S. Houston of Memphis, Phillip (Ronnie) Stratton of Southaven, MS, his mother, Opal Minor Houston of Memphis, his sister, Sherry Houston Byars of Memphis and two grandchildren.
He is also survived by a special niece and nephew, Dena Byars of Memphis and Jim Byars of Atoka, TN.

Those honored to serve as Casketbearers included Austin Byars, Bill Wallick, Rickey West,Terry West and United States Air Force Military personnel.

The family request that memorials be directed to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN, 38105-1942.