Howard Marion Schirmer, 85 of Macdona, passed away at his home on June 12, 2023. He was born December 15, 1937 in San Antonio, Texas to the late Fritz Joseph Schirmer and Otelia Olga Jackel Schirmer.

Howard lived his entire life on the family farm purchased in 1875 by his great-grandfather Frank Jackel. Howard attended the Catholic School in La Coste from 1st through 8th grade. In 1952, Howard started attending the new Southwest High School which had been built on a hay field the family used to farm. His Southwest High School graduating class of 1956 had 34 graduates.

In 1955-56, Southwest school board members were able to get an Army surplus fire truck for the Southwest School District area. The firetruck was kept in the Schirmer corn crib barn for more than 2 years. Fire reports went to Howard's mother's phone and Howard would answer the calls.

On September 10, 1961, Howard married Barbara Kathryn Jungman at St. Louis Catholic Church in Castroville. They were blessed with sixty-one years of marriage and two sons.

Howard farmed his entire life. As a child, he started showing Hereford cattle at Livestock shows with the help of 4H and county agents. After graduating high school, Howard, and his brother Farren formed a partnership to rent the family farm from their parents Fritz and Otelia Schirmer. In the mid-1960s, Howard and his brother Farren worked for Gary Aircraft while continuing to operate the farm. Howard's brother Farren Schirmer died in 1998. Howard continued to farm with his son, Ernie Schirmer. During the last few years, the farm operations have passed on to Howard's son Ernie and grandson Brandon.

Howard served as the Vice President of the Bexar County Farm Bureau. After the forming of the Edwards Aquifer Authority, Howard worked with local farmers to document their historic water use. Howard helped farmers secure their water rights when farmers were only given 30 days to file a claim or lose their irrigation rights.

Howard served on the Board of Directors of the Alamo Soil and Water Conservation District #330 for the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board.

In 1980, the Schirmer family farm was recognized by the Texas Department of Agriculture's Family Land Heritage Program that honors families who own and run an agricultural operation continuously for 100 years or more. In 2020 the US Department of Agriculture photographed the six generation Schirmer family farm during the hay, cotton, and sesame seed harvests. The photos are available to the public on the USDA account on flickr.com.

Howard is survived by his wife, Barbara; his two sons, Reynold Joseph (Joe) Schirmer and Ernest Lawrence (Ernie) Schirmer; his two daughters-in-law, Mary Ryan Schirmer and Terri Verstraeten Schirmer; his grandchildren, Kassie Wilson with her husband Ben, Brandon Schirmer with his wife Kendall; and great-grandchildren, Reed Wilson and baby girl Wilson who is expected in October.

Visitation will be Thursday, June 22, 2023 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Tondre-Guinn Funeral Home. The Holy Rosary will be recited at 9:30 a.m. followed by the Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, June 23, 2023 at St. Louis Catholic Church. Interment will follow at St. Louis Catholic Cemetery in Castroville, Texas.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Howard's memory to St. Louis Catholic Cemetery or to the charity of your choice.

Arrangements by Tondre-Guinn Funeral Home. Visit www.tondre-guinn.com