Myron G. “Texas Ted” Britt, 80, a longtime Washington area auto dealer who counted fellow Texans Lyndon B. Johnson and George Bush among his customers while building a multi-dealership empire, died of congestive heart failure Dec. 23 at his home in Arlington.

He bought his first dealership in 1959 with the help of then-Sen. Johnson and a small-business loan. Riding a population boom in the suburbs of the nation’s capital, Mr. Britt bought and opened five other dealerships. In 1994, Ted Britt Ford of Fairfax topped the list of regional auto dealers, with $118.3 million in total sales. By that time, Mr. Britt had stepped down from the day-to-day operations and handed over the reins to his youngest of five children, M. Gardner Britt.

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“He gets the credit for the success of the business,” the younger Britt said. “This all started with him. He was a hard-charging salesman who thought he could sell anyone a car.”

Mr. Britt, who was born in Junction, Tex., was in the Coast Guard during World War II, when he was shipped to Washington. After the war, he briefly worked as a pilot for Capital Airlines, then became a sales associate for a Cadillac dealership.

Over the years, he developed a reputation as a shrewd businessman and community leader. He was a past president of the Fairfax Rotary Club and the City of Fairfax Chamber of Commerce.

When he opened his doors on Route 50 in Fairfax in 1959, his motto was “We’ll trade anything.” Soon there were stories circulating in Fairfax County that trade-ins included jewelry, tractors, a small private plane and a donkey. He once said he preferred to run his dealership like a family trading post with the emphasis on family and customer service. His dealership was a 10-time winner of Ford’s Distinguished Achievement award.

Color-coded tape on the floors of his showroom directed customers to the cashier, the rental car pickup desk and the parts department. Big-band music played in the showroom, and the walls were decorated with family photographs. Among those in the pictures were his grandchildren, some of whom are featured in the dealership’s current television advertising.

His office, in the back of the Fairfax dealership, was decorated with horse paintings, stuffed fowl and statues of cowboys. Behind the desk was an extensive gun collection, the result of another trade-in, he once said. Hanging on the wall was a picture of Mr. Britt with President Bush. The two Texans shared a passion for fishing and a fondness for Fords, Mr. Britt once said.

He was a past president of the Virginia Automobile Dealer Association.

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His wife, Katherine McReynolds Britt, died in 1996. Survivors include five children, Bill Britt of Fredericksburg, Va., Kathy Koch of Fairfax, Elizabeth Lawrence of Warrenton, Linda Arnold of Fredericksburg and M. Gardner Britt of Fairfax; a brother; two sisters; 21 grandchildren; and a great-grandson. JOHN C. HOLZBERG Realty Executive

John C. Holzberg, 84, a mortgage loan realtor who had worked for Shannon & Luchs Realtors for 46 years before retiring in 1979 as a vice president, died Dec. 22 at the Meadows, a Brooke Grove assisted-living facility in Sandy Spring. He had a heart ailment.

Mr. Holzberg, who served as a Shannon & Luchs vice president for 23 years, was a Bethesda resident and Washington native. He was a graduate of Western High School and what is now the Catholic University Law School.

He was a member of the Thad Dulin Post of the American Legion, the Mortgage Bankers Association and the Metropolitan Real Estate Board. He also was a member of Columbia Country Club, where he was a prize-winning golfer.

His wife of 52 years, Sallie A., died in 1991. Survivors include two sons, John A., of Surfside, Fla., and Peter F., of Ellicott City; two daughters, Sallie M. Holzberg of Ashton and John H. Kreutz of Glendale, Ariz.; and four grandchildren. KENNETH ALAN RASKIN Washington Native

Kenneth Alan Raskin, 50, a Chicago resident and bank official who was a Washington native and 1965 Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School graduate, died of a brain tumor Dec. 20 at a hospital in Highland Park, Ill.

He had lived in Chicago for the last five years, where he was general counsel of the Chicago office of the Sanwa Bank of Tokyo.

Mr. Raskin, who played the French horn in the Redskins band while in high school, was a 1969 graduate of Brandeis College and a 1972 graduate of New York University law school. Before going to Chicago, he lived in Long Island and worked for Chase Manhattan Bank.

Survivors include his wife, Helaine, and two sons, Ethan and Jeremy, all of Chicago; his parents, Hyman and Pearl Raskin of Silver Spring; and two brothers, Stephen, of Bethesda, and Leonard, of Silver Spring. THOMAS ROBERT O’REILLY Architect

Thomas Robert O’Reilly, 71, an architect who designed custom homes, churches and office buildings in the Washington area, died of emphysema Dec. 23 at home in Silver Spring.

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Mr. O’Reilly was born in Rye, N.Y. In 1945 and 1946, he served in the Army and then settled in the Washington area.

He graduated from Catholic University with a degree in architecture.

Until retiring a year ago, he was a self-employed architect, working from an office at home.

He had won an award for his design of the Natural Resources office building in Rockville. He also designed Damascus United Methodist Church and the Boyer Medical Building in Damascus, the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church and nursing home additions for the Brooke Grove Foundation in Olney, the Rockville Seventh-day Adventist Church and the Hideout and Chateau condominiums in Ocean City.

He was a member of the Knights of Columbus and St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Olney, and he was a past president of Olney Rotary Club.

Survivors include his wife, Claire M. O’Reilly of Silver Spring; two children, Maureen P. Roche of Odenton and Thomas R. O’Reilly Jr. of Silver Spring; two sisters, Jean O’Reilly of Washington and Claire Hannan of Silver Spring. WILLIAM F. HOWARD Supply Officer

William F. Howard, 83, who was a civilian supply officer with the Army Material Command for about 25 years until his retirement in 1972, died of cardiac arrest Dec. 24 at the Fairfax Nursing Center. He had lived in McLean for more than 40 years.

Mr. Howard was a native of Norfolk and a graduate of the College of William and Mary. During World War II, he served in the Navy as a naval gunner aboard a destroyer in the North Atlantic.

He was a founder and past president of the Langley Club, a swimming organization in McLean. He served as its accountant and payroll clerk in his retirement years. He also was an avid gardener and a member of St. Johns Episcopal Church in McLean.

His wife, Jean E. Howard, died in 1991. Survivors include two children, William F., Jr. of Ashburn and Suzanne Claggett of Centreville; a brother; two grandchildren; and a great-grandson.

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