John Charles Houston, 75, of Houston, Texas, passed away on November 8, 2025, after a long hospital stay, with his loving family at his side 24/7 throughout.

John was born August 27, 1950, in San Antonio, Texas, to William Verdaman Houston and Lucille Celestine (née Lange) Houston. He graduated valedictorian from La Salle High School in San Antonio. During his youth he spent summers working construction for H. P. Zachary, helping build Interstate 10 in San Antonio.

John attended Texas A&M University, and was a proud and distinguished member of the Corps of Cadets.  A lifelong Aggie, he cheered for Texas A&M through every season, even this last one from his hospital bed.  John completed a five‑year mechanical engineering program in four and a half years and graduating with the Class of 1972. He would have in 4 years, were it not for an eye surgery, the very same that would disqualify him from following family footsteps into a military career and fulfilling his dream to fly as a fighter pilot.  Undeterred, John channeled the military discipline and a love of flight into his own path, eventually flying just as many miles into exotic places as a world traveler, for both business and pleasure.

In January 1973 John began his professional career as a junior engineer with Houston Lighting & Power (HL&P). He served the company for more than 42 years, through acquisitions and renaming's, climbing to Senior Vice President at CenterPoint Energy, until his official retirement in 2015, though he continued to serve on boards until his last hospitalization.

John married his high‑school sweetheart, Mary Jane "Janie" Houston, in July 1973 and brought her to Houston where she taught school while he worked at Wharton power plant those first years.

In his career, John balanced the discipline he learned at the Corps, with his innate kindness and ability to connect with people, to build a reputation of leadership, reliability, inspiration.  This, combined with a mechanical inclination he shared with his father and father-in-law, led John to a diversity of roles and adventures within the company, including internationally respected early work on gas turbine power generation, grid planning and crisis response, and negotiating and advising on bringing infrastructure to far flung places across the world—Argentina, India, Pakistan, Brazil, Colombia, Poland, Germany, Turkey and other countries.  While John relished the challenge, cultures, and excitement, and never failed to bring home stories and special souvenirs home for his children, it was the work and pleasure trips he could take with Janie that meant the most to John—Spain, Amsterdam, England, Brussels, Switzerland, Israel and Canada—as well as family road trips closer to home, like those he loved to tell stories about from his youth.

John loved westerns—also from his youth, but on through his last days—as well as any movie he could enjoy with family and any book they recommended.

He was a voracious reader, especially history of all kinds, and technical accounts of disasters—an interest he turned into practical planning for the boards he served on, crisis planning and response within the company, and the people and emergency services that relied on these.

John was known for a quick wit, a ready sense of humor, and a calm, steady presence. Above all, he treasured time with his family and especially his grandchildren; being a grandfather was "the cherry on top" of his life.

In 2006, John was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, a cancer he was determined to beat, and likewise determined not to let slow him down.   Before retirement, nurses often found him in chemotherapy rooms with his laptop open making work calls, and family rarely heard a complaint or found him unavailable.  Finally, after 19 years of challenges, close calls, impossible odds, brilliant doctors, a supportive family, and sheer willpower, John achieved full remission.  This victory he proudly but quietly celebrated with friends and family.  It was short lived, however, as John was then diagnosed with MDS.  Though he was determined and fought to until the end, it proved too much too fast.

John is survived by his wife, Mary Jane "Janie" Houston; children Douglas Houston and Kara Houston (Jay Ahmadi); and grandchildren Kaitlyn, Madeline, Camden, Evangeline, and Ellington. He also leaves his brother Leonard Houston (Sue), his sister Charlotte Barry, and a wide circle of nieces and nephews, extended family, and friends who will miss him dearly.

A Visitation with light refreshments will be held Wednesday, November 19, 2025, from 4:30 pm to 8:30 pm with a Prayer Service to start promptly at 5:00 pm and Vigil to follow at 5:30 pm at Klein Funeral Home-Champions. A Funeral Mass will be held Thursday, November 20, 2025, at 10:30 am at Prince of Peace Catholic Church. Burial will follow at Klein Memorial Park-2920 at 2:30 pm.

Serving as pallbearers Douglas Houston, John Henry Van De Walle, Tim Van De Walle, Jay Ahmadi, Camden Ahmadi, Thomas Russo, Jr., Jerome Svatek and Lance Rumfield.

Serving as honorary pallbearers Leonard Houston and Thomas Russo, Sr.

The family welcomes expressions of sympathy. If you wish, a memorial donation in John's name is gratefully received, or celebrate his memory by volunteering, as he did. Suggested organizations he and the family supported are listed below — or you may choose your own.

Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF)
From Janie: "The MMRF (Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation) is the organization that John felt like came out with the first drugs that saved him in the beginning. Kathi's story is inspiring.  Multiple Myeloma was considered a rare cancer and the money for new drugs was not being spent on rare cancers at that time.  They were trying to fight cancers that affected the most people."

John Houston Memorial MMRF Fundraiser:
https://give.themmrf.org/john-houston

MMRF Main Page and General MMRF Donations
https://themmrf.org/

Career and Recovery Resources

Volunteer
https://careerandrecovery.org/volunteer/

Main Page and Donations
https://careerandrecovery.org/

Prince Of Peace Catholic Community

Adopt-A-Family
https://www.pophouston.org/groups/givingtree/

American Society of Hematology (ASH)

From Douglas: "Dad and I always looked forward to the yearly ASH conference.  His dedicated myeloma doctor of many years was excited for them, it was one of her favorites, and thus his.  She would come back energized, with all the cutting edge cancer research.  Dad would read the papers and presentations, and then he and I have long discussions about them, about new technologies for treating myeloma or cancer in general in novel ways, and many other connected sciences and topics.  It gave him hope that every year there was something new coming out, and that if a treatment only bought one more year, the next year would have another, maybe even the one to beat it.  It took 19 of those years, but eventually that happened, full remission.  This foundation helps doctors connect, share, and learn about not just Myeloma, but also MDS and Leukemia and other blood disorders, and helps doctors and patients in many other ways.  ASH springs to mind immediately when thinking of organizations he benefited from and supported, that would help both Multiple Myeloma and MDS."

Donate to the ASH Foundation

https://donate.hematology.org/

#Fight4Hematology Action Hub and Other Ways to Help

https://www.hematology.org/advocacy/fight4hematology

Blood and Platelets Donations
From Kara: "My dad's healing was made possible by the kindness of strangers — people who donated blood and platelets. Those gifts literally helped save his life. As we honor him, one of the most meaningful ways to pay tribute is to donate blood or platelets in his name. A single donation can give a family more time, more memories, and more hope — just like it did for ours."

MD Anderson Blood Bank

https://www.mdandersonbloodbank.org/

You can also find blood and platelet donation locations for cancer patients at your local cancer center, or general blood donations at your local blood bank or the Red Cross.

MD Anderson Cancer Center

MD Anderson Donations
https://gifts.mdanderson.org/

MD Anderson Volunteer Opportunities
https://www.mdanderson.org/donors-volunteers/volunteer.html

Caring Fund - helps MD Anderson employees and their families recover from disasters
https://www.mdanderson.org/donors-volunteers/donate/md-anderson-caring-fund.html

Other Ways to Help
https://www.mdanderson.org/donors-volunteers/other-ways-to-help.html

Other Causes

Please check back for additional organizations from the family if any further contributions can be made in John's Honor.