Texas County’s longest-serving officeholder has died.
Texas County Clerk Don Troutman, elected in 1978, was found in his Houston home on Thursday after he failed to report to work. Troutman, who had been in declining health, was 63. He was last elected to a four-year term in November 2014.
As the county clerk, Troutman oversaw the county’s budget operation and all elections.
He held an instrumental role in the plan to construct a new county justice center and jail and oversaw the Texas County Museum, a pet project, on Houston’s Grand Avenue. Troutman, a Democrat, was the long-time treasurer of the Houston Rural Fire Association.
Services for Troutman are 11 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13, at First Baptist Church in Houston. Visitation is 9 a.m. until service time.