William Stanley Houston

William Stanley Houston, a longtime Stillwater resident, died Wednesday October 22, 2008.
Bill was born July 31, 1936, in Dallas, Texas to Stanley and Estelle (Blankenbaker) Houston. He grew up and attended schools in Dallas, where he graduated as valedictorian of his class in 1953.
Following high school, Bill attended Baylor University, where he played first chair clarinet in the Golden Wave Band. He graduated from Baylor in 1957 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in General Business and Spanish. He then continued his education at Southern Methodist University where he earned a Masters Degree in Business Administration, with an emphasis in Accounting. Bill went to work for Arthur Anderson as a Senior Tax Accountant in 1962, where he specialized in income and estate tax. Bill returned to his studies when he attended North Texas State University, and was awarded a Ph. D. in Business Administration in 1972.
On August 2, 1975, Bill married Patricia Truax in Tulsa, at the Boston Avenue United Methodist Church.
Bill taught accounting at Oklahoma State University from 1970 until 1980. In 1980, Bill left O.S.U. to form a Certified Public Accounting Firm, Houston and Company, Inc., with his wife, Patricia. In 1996, Bill suffered a stroke which caused him to retire two years later.
He spent his retirement years pursuing his passions, one of which was playing his piano. Bill enjoyed the full spectrum of musical genres, ranging from gospel to classical, and everything in between. Bill also enjoyed cooking with his friends, working in his garden and collecting antiques. Retirement for Bill and Trish also included travel. They enjoyed traveling internationally, with a particular affinity for France, England and Ireland. However, they also enjoyed traveling in the US. On one cross country trip, Bill and Trish decided to spend their time looking for the best barbeque we could find. Before their trip ended, apple pie (Bills favorite dessert), was also on the menu.
Bill was known for his sense of humor, often finding humor in circumstances where others did not. He believed that whatever you did should be done enthusiastically. Bill expected you to look for a better way of doing things. He was innately good, and would accept no less from those around him. Bill expected life to be funnot only due to what life gave to Bill, but also due to what Bill gave back to life.
Bill is survived by his wife Trish, of the home. He is also survived by his sister Jean Holmes of Flower Mound, Texas. They, along with his other family members, will miss him greatly. Bill will also be missed by former students, clients, and many friends.
A memorial service will be held in Bills honor on Monday, October 27, 2008 at 10:30 AM, at the First United Methodist Church, 400 West 7th Street, Stillwater, OK. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions be made to the Stillwater First United Methodist Church Foundation or to the Oklahoma State University Foundation, William S. Houston Memorial English Chair.
Services are entrusted to and under the direction of Palmer Marler Carberry Funeral Home of Stillwater. Condolences may be sent using our online guestbook at www.pmcfh.com.