Staff Report
Howard Carpenter Peabody (known by his family as “Papa”) was born on November 20, 1932, in Rome, New York, to Art and Olive Peabody. When Howard was a teenager, the family moved to Tucson, Arizona. There he met Joan Lyon; they married in 1952 and had six beautiful children.
Howard’s life work and passion was construction. He founded and ran Peabody Construction in Tucson. Howard moved to Dripping Springs, Texas, in 1980 where he founded Peabody General Contractors and ran it with his oldest son, Mark. PGC did major projects for the University of Texas, the City of Austin, and built Founder’s Memorial Park in Dripping Springs, Texas. Howard established such a presence in Dripping Springs that the city named the street of his residence “Peabody Place.”
After retiring from PGC, Howard moved to Kingsland, Texas where he lived in his beloved lake house on Lake LBJ. As a semi-retired resident of Kingsland, he continued working on many construction projects, including several beautiful lake houses. He loved the lake, boating with his kids and grandchildren, and cruising around in his golf cart. He loved Johnny Cash, Dr. Pepper, and Swisher Sweets. His stories were epic and could take several hours. To all who met him, he was a character who loved life and loved his family dearly.
He is survived by his wife, Barbara Crofford, daughter Terese (husband George), daughter Cathy (husband Terry), daughter Julie (husband George), daughter Betsy (husband Pat), son Brian (wife Kris), daughter-in-law Shelley, stepdaughter Kimberly (husband James), stepson Kenny (wife Candace), his grandchildren, great grandchildren, and one great-great grandson. He was preceded in death by his sons Mark and Scott and his daughter Chana.
Our Papa will be missed beyond words.
The family is hosting a Celebration of Life on September 4, 2026, from 11am – 2 pm at the Kingsland Community Center, 3451 Rosehill Dr., Kingsland, TX 78639.
In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that you make a donation to the ALS Association at als.org.
