Texie Ruth McGowan

Texie Ruth McGowan

July 13, 1927 - Feb. 8, 2023

People would say Texie was one of the sweetest and kindest souls they had ever met. Texie was born in Jackson, Mississippi on July 13, 1927 to the late Harry and Sarah Nellie Howe. She spent her childhood growing up during the great depression on the family dairy farm in rural Mississippi. WWII had started and Texie, just a teenager at the time, remembered saying to herself "I'm going to marry an Airman one day" as the war planes flew over the farm.

During WWII Texie and her family moved to Napa California and her parents bought the Pine Street Grocery. Texie's future husband Ray soon came home from war and moved back into the family house right next door to the Pine Street Grocery. Texie's family lived in the upstairs dwelling above the store. It wasn't long before the handsome young Airman Ray and the "girl next door" Texie were engaged to be married.

Ray and Texie designed and built their own forever home in Napa. They purchased more materials with each paycheck and did the labor themselves, never taking out a loan. They raised three children and spent 73 happily married years in that home.

Following her passion, Texie became a skilled professional artist, won many awards, and her work was exhibited at multiple galleries. This was far from a full-time career, so Texie had plenty of time to be a wonderful mother, enjoy the family life, traveling, writing, gardening, and reading. She was active in the Napa Art Association, the National League of American Pen Women, Napa Valley Scribblers, American Fuchsia Society and the American Camellia Society.

Texie passed away on February 8, 2023. She was 95 years old. She was preceded in death by her husband Raymond McGowan, her sister Therese Billings and her daughter Barbara McGowan.

Texie is survived by her siblings Leo Billings, Patrick Billings, Don Billings, Paul Billings, and her children Nancy Russell and Robert McGowan, nine grandchildren and thirteen great-grandchildren.

Graveside services for Texie will be held at Tulocay Cemetery, 411 Coombsville Road, Napa, CA on Wednesday February 22, 2023 at 11:00 a.m.

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