William Thomas Howard

W.T. "Tom" Howard, 70, passed away March 10, 2018. Tom was born in Lane, Oklahoma to the late Gerald and Ora Howard. An accomplished thoroughbred horse trainer, some of Tom's best horses included Oaklawn-raced Rocket Twentyone and Oaklawn stakes winners Heart Appeal, Stormin'Suzy and Ain't He a Pistol. He was also very proud of Ivan Fallunovalot, 2015 Texas Thoroughbred Horse of the Year, Breeder's Cup contender, who most recently ran third in the 2018 Hot Springs Stakes. Tom loved his wife, Kathleen Moore Howard; daughter, Melissa Howard; pups Sophie and Pie; siblings Danny, Sam, Gerald, Johnny, Mary, Wanda, and Wayne; dear friends Frank Fletcher and Lewis Matthews; and many more friends, too numerous to name, who cannot imagine Tom not being in a barn somewhere, reading the paper in the company of his favorite horse. He was predeceased by his brother, Roger Howard. A Celebration of Tom's Life will be held at Gross Funeral Home today at 2 p.m. Online guestbook and tributes are available at www.GrossFuneralHome.com.