Vincil Henry Howerton's Obituary
Longtime Portola Valley resident and San Francisco businessman, Vincil Henry Howerton, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his loving family. He had an amazing long and successful life.Born in 1921 to Mamie Claire and Harrison Lee Howerton, in Hinton, Oklahoma, he was the youngest of 7 children. At age 15, Vince left Oklahoma to join his three brothers in San Diego, CA. The brothers were employed as union plumbers by their uncle’s plumbing business. Vince finished school in San Diego and then apprenticed with his uncle’s company as a plumber. During WWII, he was employed by the San Francisco mechanical contracting company, Anderson-Rowe, which was constructing military bases, housing, and hospitals.After the war, Vince met his wife, Dorthy, in Elko, Nevada, where he was managing work for Detweiler of Nevada. After they married, he started Howerton Plumbing in Elko. In 1950 he was recruited by Schlegel Plumbing in Menlo Park, CA and became a principal in the company. During the 1950s and 60s, Schlegel was a very successful large mechanical contractor. Along with their work on the General Motors plant in Fremont, Schlegel performed all phases of mechanical work on Bay Area hospitals, schools, hotels, retail stores, churches, and almost any other type of building and facility.In 1971 at age 50, Vince founded Columbia Mechanical Contractors, Inc. in San Francisco. Columbia was his pride and joy and it grew into one of the most well respected mechanical contracting companies in San Francisco. His wife, Dorthy, was President of the company until her death in 2002. His daughter, Valerie Howerton Miller, joined the company in 1976 taking on the role of President from 2002 to 2014. His son, Wayne, also made his career at Columbia as Vice President and Project Manager. Many of Columbia’s employees went on to start their own companies and have very successful careers. In 2014 the company was closed as Vince finally decided to retire at age 92, bring to a close a legacy spanning 42 years.Vince was an avid sportsman, he loved fishing, hunting, camping, and golfing. His last fishing trip was to Togiak, Alaska when he was 90 years old. He was also a pilot with a fierce love for his airplanes. He would fly his hunting and fishing friends to their favorite spots all over the western United States, Canada, and Mexico. In his 70s, Vince starting vacationing in Maui. In 1996 he bought his beloved Makena Surf condo where his family enjoyed many years of happy vacations with him.Vince leaves behind a large family. He is survived by his son, Wayne (Beverly), his daughter, Valerie (Joe), 10 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren with another on the way. With his infectious warmth and welcoming personality, he touched all who knew him. Vince was a true character who lived life on his own terms and accomplished virtually everything he ever wanted to do. He will truly be missed.
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