Memorials › Gladys Mae Bravenec Howard
Gladys Mae Bravenec Howard
9 Aug 1932 – 3 Oct 2015
| Birth | 9 Aug 1932 |
| Death | 3 Oct 2015 |
| Added by | Rozz on 20 Nov 2015 |
| FaG | https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/153211871 |
Bio
Gladys Bravenec Howard passed away on Saturday, October 3, 2015, in Tyler, Texas after a four-year battle with cancer. A service honoring her life will be at First Christian Church, Tyler, at 2 p.m. on Friday, October 9, 2015. Gladys Bravenec Howard was born August 9, 1932, in the Ratibor area east of Temple, Texas, to Edward Charles Bravenec and Victoria Kotrla Bravenec. Gladys attended school at Little Flock, Oscar, Temple and graduated from Rogers High School. She graduated from The University of Texas at Austin in 1957 with a degree in home economics. Gladys began a career as a clothes buyer for Foley's Department Store in Houston and was instrumental in convincing clothing manufacturers to produce sizes and styles for sub-teens. Gladys married Anthony Edison Fox Howard on September 7, 1957. After living in west Texas and the birth of a daughter, Susan, they eventually settled in Tyler. She died after years of being an active owner of Pirates Point Resort in Little Cayman. She was an avid environmentalist of Little Cayman, and she contributed in the final years of her life to cancer research with a positive spirit throughout treatments and experimental trials. Gladys began her career with a devotion to cooking. She was one of the first 10 founding members of the Les Dames d'Ecsoffier International (Dallas Chapter). She was the recipe editor for the cookbook "Cook 'em Horns," which was done for the University of Texas Centennial, for which she won an Addy Award (award for the best print material) in 1993. She went on to write two more cookbooks in Little Cayman, titled "Cookin' Little Cayman" and "Cookin' with the Chefs in Little Cayman." She studied at Le Cordon Bleu and La Varenne, both in Paris, France, and cooked with Julia Child, Jacques Pepin and James Beard, among others. Gladys operated an International cooking school and gourmet catering service in Tyler for 20 years and filmed cooking demonstrations for a local TV show. In 1986, she bought Pirates Point Resort in Little Cayman, BWI, where she and her staff could practice her passions as owner: cooking, serving with a flair and diving. She fell in "Love" with the island that she often referred to as Paradise. She worked very hard building Pirates Point into a world-class dive resort, which is now listed in the publication "1000 Places to See Before You Die." Travel was part of her quest for knowledge and took her to all seven continents during her active life. Gladys' love for plants and animals fueled her passion for ecology, traveling with five Earth Watch study groups to China, Bonaire, Fiji and South America. She shared her love of flowers in serving with Tyler's Azalea Garden Club. A thirst for lifelong learning prompted her presidency in American Association of University Women (Tyler Chapter), for which she was a Named Gift recipient. The Gladys B. Howard Endowment was established in her name, providing stipends for women to use for higher education for re-entering the job market. Gladys was instrumental in building the National Trust House on Little Cayman, a Ramsar Site 1995, which contains 400 acres of land, housing the largest colony of Red Footed Boobies in the Western Hemisphere. She was responsible for designing and raising the finance for the House. In observance of Queen Elizabeth's 76th birthday, Gladys was awarded the Certificate and Badge of Honor (Cert.Hon.) for services to conservation and tourism on Little Cayman. The investiture was conducted in 2003 by HRH Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex and the youngest son of Queen Elizabeth. Her many awards also included recipient of The Yellow Rose of Texas, by then Governor Ann Richards, an award to native-born Texas women who have achieved their goal and contributed to society. She was honored with the Cayman Islands Stingray Tourism Award for Long Term Service in 2008 and in 2012 for Lifetime Achievement Award. In July 2015, the National Trust honored Gladys by naming the community center the "Gladys Bravenec Howard National Trust House." She was also inducted into the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame on October 2, 2015. Gladys is survived by her daughter, Susan Howard and her wife Theresa McDonald; her granddaughter, Antonia; two brothers, Dr. Edward Bravenec of Seabrook, Texas, and Anton Bravenec and his wife Merlene of Temple, Texas; one sister, Nelda Roessler and her husband Marvin (Buddy) of Belton and Blanco, Texas; along with nieces Beth Anne Rabroker, Amy Bowles and Rene Roessler and nephews Randall Roessler and David Bravenec and friends who feel like family from all around the world. Gladys' life was best summed up in Erma Bombeck's quote, "When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would have not a single bit of talent left and could say, I used everything you gave me." She was truly - a World Traveler, Gourmet Chef, Award-Winning Author, Conservationist, Worldwide Scuba Diver, true friend and generous individual helper to many - she will be missed here, but with her heart of "gold" she will be an asset to heaven!!!!!! Published in Tyler Morning Telegraph on Oct. 8, 2015
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