Howard W. Dunham Jr.'s Obituary
Howard W. Dunham Jr. died at age 89, peacefully at home on February 16th, 2017, in his hometown of Dallas, and then most assuredly, met up with his savior, Jesus, to have dessert. Howard had been battling Parkinson’s for a very long time, and cake had been off the menu for months. Howard is survived by his loving wife of 62 years, Joyce P. Dunham; son Jeff Dunham; and brothers Oliver H. Dunham and William H. Dunham. He also leaves behind five grandchildren, Bree Dunham, Ashlyn Dunham, Kenna Dunham, Jack Dunham, and James Dunham, as well as several nieces, nephews, and many other adoring family members. Howard was born and raised in Highland Park, and he was a member most of his life of Highland Park Presbyterian Church, with a few years diverted to Prestonwood Baptist. He was a Navy veteran of World War II; attended UCLA; worked as a stuntman in Hollywood; graduated from SMU with a business degree; took over his father’s real estate appraisal business, H.W. Dunham and Associates, (and when dissolved upon Howard’s retirement years later, was the oldest real estate appraisal firm in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area); became a member of the American Institute of Real Estate Appraisers; was a senior member and Dallas Chapter president of the Society of Real Estate Appraisers; was the president of the Big D Toastmasters Club; earned his MAI; was a CRE Emeritus of The Counselors of Real Estate; a member of the Society of Residential Appraisers, and in later years, wrote a book on Christian spirituality entitled, Big Man, Little Man. He loved traveling the world with Joyce, and he collected photographs of classic old theatres from around the Dallas area and the U.S., and his favorite old films were of Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan. Years ago, he taught his then five-year-old son simple magic tricks, and thus started the young boy on an amazing journey in show business. A memorial service is planned for today, Tuesday, February 21, at 1:00 PM at Highland Park Presbyterian Church in Wynne Chapel, with a reception in the adjoining parlor to follow Flowers for the service or donations to the church may be sent to Highland Park Presbyterian Church, 3821 University Blvd., Dallas, TX 75205 Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Restland Funeral Home and Memorial Park, 13005 Greenville Avenue, Dallas, TX 75243.
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