Marshall Cody Howard

        Marshall Cody Howard, 46, of Huntington, Texas, passed away in Houston, leaving behind a life that was anything but ordinary and a legacy that will be told in stories for years to come. A Celebration of Life  for Mr. Howard will be held Friday, April 17, 2026, at 2:00 p.m., at Shafer Funeral Home, with Brother David Holland, Jr. officiating.

          Mr. Howard was born on August 29, 1979, in Lufkin, Texas, to the late Henry Andrew Howard and the late Vicki Lynn (Marshall) Howard, and died Sunday, April 12, 2026, in Houston.     

         Marshall was a man who felt most at home where the pavement ended—deep in the woods, along the water, or anywhere the air smelled like dirt, pine, and freedom. A lifelong saw hand, he spent his days working in the very places he loved most.  Wearing camo or a ghillie suit like it was second nature. The woods weren’t just where he lived—they were who he was.

          He was a devoted husband to his wife, Sara, and a proud father to his two boys, Henry Dale Howard and Neches Andrew Howard. Those who knew Marshall knew that his love for his family ran deep, steady, and true.

          Marshall never met a stranger. Give him five minutes and he’d have you laughing like you’d known him your whole life. He had a gift for storytelling that couldn’t be taught—stories so vivid and wild you’d swear you were right there beside him, probably making the same questionable decisions and getting into the same trouble. And if you weren’t laughing, you were about to be.

          He had a way of lighting up every room he walked into—sometimes literally. But more than that, it was his presence. His energy. His humor. You felt it the moment he showed up.

          Marshall loved hard—his family, his friends, and the many people who became both. To know him was to be welcomed, to be entertained, and to be part of something bigger than yourself. His stories, his laughter, and his spirit will live on in the woods he walked, the waters he fished, and in every person lucky enough to have known him.

          He is survived by his wife, Sara Howard of Huntington; son, Neches Andrew Howard, and Layla Hlavaty of Huntington; son, Henry Dale Howard of Huntington; sister-in-law, Jan Howard of Etoile; granddaughter, Annie Lynn Howard of Huntington; aunt, Frankie Fondren of Silsbee; aunt, Mozelle Emmerson of Huntington; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

          He was proceeded in death by his parents; and his brother, David Andrew Howard.

          Shafer Funeral Home, Lufkin directors.