Kliever, Howard

Howard Kliever, 79, a loving husband, father, brother and grandfather, passed away Monday, Feb. 4, 2008, in Fort Worth.
Memorial service: 1:30 p.m. Friday at Sagamore Baptist Church, 4400 Panola Ave., Fort Worth. Visitation: 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Shannon Rose Hill Funeral Chapel.
Memorials: Sagamore Baptist Church Building Fund, P.O. Box 8749, Fort Worth, Texas 76124.
Howard Kliever was born Aug. 18, 1928, in the small German community of Corn, Okla. In 1934, his family moved to Fort Worth, where he was a longtime east side resident. He was a faithful servant, a tireless supporter of our youth, a deacon, a respected church leader and an avid sportsman. As a teenager, he joined Sagamore Hill Baptist Church, where he was elected a deacon at age 21 and served five terms as chairman of the deacon board. He spent more than 40 years serving as chairman of ushers and chairman of the Lord's Supper Committee. However, he will be remembered most by those whose lives were touched for many years by the youth ministries of SHBC. He began teaching a high school Bible study at age 16 and grew to be a pillar of the church's youth ministry for the next five decades. His name is synonymous with Camp Sagamore, an annual summer youth camp where as a counselor, and later as dean of men, he gained notoriety as "Killer Kliever," "Super Howard" and "Cyclops." But he was affectionately known simply as Howard to most of the kids.
Athletic and fiercely competitive, he excelled in baseball at Polytechnic High School as a teenager and won numerous city championships and state championships in men's fastpitch softball as an adult. He shared his love of baseball with the east side youth, coaching both sons in Little League and American Legion baseball during the '50s and '60s and later coaching his grandsons in Pony Baseball during the '90s. His real passion, however, was golf. The loss of one eye as a young man did not deter his ability to play competitively. He could boast of seven holes-in-one over his lifetime and shooting his age on several occasions. His golfing companions were among his dearest friends.
Howard retired in 1989 from MISCO, where he had been vice president and general manager.
He worked as a volunteer for over 10 years at All Saints Hospital and at Crusader's Chapel, which ministered to the physically and mentally challenged of our city. He served as a block captain in his White Lake Hills neighborhood and was honored with the Good Neighbor Award and the Steve Cheney Service Award for work within his community.
Howard was ushered into the presence of the God he so faithfully served Feb. 4, 2008, after a difficult struggle with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. He leaves behind a legacy of commitment and servitude for all who knew him.
Survivors: Wife of 58 years, Margaret Kliever; sons, David Kliever and wife, Laurel, and Donny Kliever; special friend, Debbie Kliever; sister, Jjanice Harper; mother-in-law, Eva Riley; and grandchildren, Doug, Brad, Matt, Ben and Jake.
Published in the Star-Telegram on 2/7/2008.