Memorials

Submit a memorial at texasbar.com/memorials or call (512) 427-1830. For information on closing a deceased attorney’s practice, go to www.texasbarcle.com/materials/closingapractice.html.

Donald Paul Knobloch

Richard Koenig Knobloch, 74, of Bellville, died March 25, 2017. He received his law degree from the University of Texas School of Law and was admitted to the Texas Bar in 1968. Knobloch primarily practiced real estate and financial management law for Joerger, Lindsey and Lindsey Abstract Company in Rosenberg and at his own private practice. He was an elder of Brenham Presbyterian Church and served six years on the board of the Cho-Yeh Camp and Conference Center in Livingston. Knobloch was a devoted family man, and he loved God, family, and country. He enjoyed woodworking and coaching Little League baseball. Knobloch is survived by his wife of 43 years, Jean Knobloch; sons, John Pylate, David Pylate, and Tim Knobloch; brother, Joe Knobloch; sister, Susie Logan; and eight grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Victoria Witherspoon Knobloch; and sons, Chuck Knobloch and Paul Pylate.

John Riley Sandhop

James Rindfuss Sandhop, 82, of Baytown, died September 2, 2017. He served as a captain in the U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps from 1960 to 1963. Sandhop received his law degree from the University of Texas School of Law and was admitted to the Texas Bar in 1960. He was with Reid, Strickland & Gillette in Baytown from 1963 to 2006 and was a senior partner at the time of his retirement. Sandhop said his happiest time was sitting at his desk. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Marilyn Dowell Sandhop; sons, John Riley Sandhop Jr., Stephen Marion Sandhop, and David Edwin Sandhop; and six grandchildren.

Ronald L. Yandell

Richard Bogatto Yandell, 67, of Mineral Wells, died December 27, 2016. He served in the U.S. Army from March 1972 to March 1975. Yandell received his law degree from Texas Tech University School of Law and was admitted to the Texas Bar in 1979. He was in private practice in Wichita Falls from 1979 to 1994 and was of counsel to Moore & Moore in Mineral Wells from 1994 to 2016. Yandell was a board member of West Texas Legal Services, practiced bankruptcy and oil and gas litigation, and performed countless hours of pro bono work. He is remembered for his love of family, sports, and farming the family’s pecan orchard. Yandell is survived by his wife of almost 23 years, attorney Cora L. Moore Yandell; son, Travis Yandell; daughter, Tracy Lawhon; sisters, Joyce Schwab and Cheryl Smith; and seven grandchildren.

Wayne V.R. Smith

James Eissinger Smith, 73, of Martinez, California, died January 12, 2017. He received his law degree from the University of Texas School of Law and was admitted to the Texas Bar in 1970. Smith was also admitted to practice in California in 1972. He served as a clerk to Judge William Wayne Justice, of the Eastern District of Texas, and was in private practice specializing in real estate, commercial, and probate law in California from 1972 to 2017. Smith was an avid golfer and active in many civic organizations. He is survived by his former wife, Barbara; son, David Smith; daughters, Susan Richardson, Alison McEntire, and Tamara Smith; brothers, Jerry, Dale, Dwight, Matt, and Rusty Byrne; sisters, Dee Dee Smith Arena and Suzy Smith Allione; and three grandchildren.

R. Michael Farquhar

Ralph Gustafson Farquhar, 63, of Dallas, died October 7, 2017. He received his law degree from Southern Methodist University School of Law and was admitted to the Texas Bar in 1980. Farquhar was admitted to the District of Columbia Bar in 1992 and to the New York Bar in 2004. He practiced law with Carter, Jones, Magee, Rudberg, Moss & Mayes from 1980 to 1982; with Johnson & Cravens from 1982 to 1988; and with Winstead from 1988 to 2017. Farquhar was certified in business bankruptcy law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and the American Bankruptcy Institute. He served as past president of the Dallas Bar Association’s Bankruptcy & Commercial Law Section. Farquhar was known for his breadth of knowledge and will be remembered for his love of travel and cycling—both motorcycle and bicycle. He is survived by his wife of 38 years, attorney Carol Farquhar; son, Andrew M. Farquhar; daughter, Stephanie E. Farquhar; mother, Helen M. Farquhar; brother, Frank Farquhar; sisters, Nancy Thomas, Cindi Farquhar, and Jennifer Baxley; and one grandchild.

David Oakes Turner

Don Saunders Turner, 79, of Dallas, died October 9, 2017. He received his law degree from Southern Methodist University School of Law and was admitted to the Texas Bar in 1965. Turner was president of Maxson-Mahoney-Turner in Dallas. He enjoyed golfing, fishing, and coaching. Turner is survived by his wife of 55 years, Litty Turner; sons, attorney David O. Turner Jr. and Robert N. Turner; daughters, Beth Turner Ygartua and Catherine Turner Russell; brother, Donald Maxson “Mack” Turner; sister, Nancy Turner Christy; and 12 grandchildren.

James Sean Healey

Bradley Phair Healey, 73, of Houston, died August 20, 2017. He served in the U.S. Navy from October 1963 to August 1964. Healey received his law degree from South Texas College of Law and was admitted to the Texas Bar in 1979. He was an attorney with the Law Office of Tramonte, Apffel, Urbani & Tramonte in Galveston from 1982 to 1986 and in private practice in Houston from 1986 to 2017. Healey was a mediator and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority arbitrator. He was an adjunct professor at the College of the Mainland and enjoyed photography and SCUBA diving. Healey is survived by his wife of 22 years, Karen Healey; his son, James Christian Healey; and one grandchild.

Wayne T. Mendicino

Donald Teer Mendicino, 81, of San Antonio, died October 8, 2017. He served in the U.S. Army and was honorably discharged in July 1965. Mendicino received his law degree from St. Mary’s University School of Law and was admitted to the Texas Bar in 1966 and to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1969. He was in private practice in family law from 1966 to 2016, worked with Vito F. Lanza in constitutional law in Brooklyn, New York, from 1969 to 1972, and was an estate attorney and past trust officer of the Groos National Bank of San Antonio. Mendicino was a member of the Board of Governors of the San Antonio Estate Planners Council, a member of the American Judicature Society, and enjoyed working for the San Antonio Appraisal Review Boards from 2004 to 2009. He was active with the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Mendicino enjoyed traveling and monthly gambling trips, especially to Montego Bay Casino Resort in West Wendover, Nevada, with his childhood neighbor, and gambling with his son. He is survived by his son, Pierre Michel Mendicino.

George Marshall Cason

Albert Rincones Cason, 84, of Eagle Lake, died October 31, 2017. He received his law degree from South Texas College of Law, where he was a member of the Order of the Lytae, and was admitted to the Texas Bar in 1965. Cason was licensed to practice in the U.S. Supreme Court in 1980. He practiced in League City until his return to Eagle Lake in 1983. Cason was general counsel to the National Association of Conservation Districts in Washington, D.C.; attorney for League City National Bank and the cities of Kemah and Weimar; justice of the peace for Precinct 4, Colorado County; and municipal court judge of Eagle Lake. He served on the board of the State Bar of Texas Grievance Committee in Galveston; was president of the Galveston County Bar Association; and served as chair of the Colorado County Democratic Party. Cason was a member of the 1992 National Democratic Party Convention Credentials Committee in New York and a delegate to the 1996 National Democratic Party Convention in Chicago, Illinois. He is survived by his wife of 22 years, Marjorie “Margie”; son, Glen; stepson, Kevin Smith; stepdaughter, Amie Adams; four grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

Homer Charles “Charlie” Strauss Jr.

Philip McConnell Strauss, 67, of New Braunfels, died September 29, 2017. He served in the U.S. Army from 1974 to 1978, achieving the rank of captain. Strauss received his law degree from South Texas College of Law and was admitted to the Texas Bar in 1975. He practiced law in Kerville, Belton, Austin, and San Antonio. Strauss then worked as an assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas in San Antonio. He loved good food and drink and was quite an accomplished cook. Strauss was generous and loved to share the finished product of his favorite recipes. He especially enjoyed smoking meats on his Green Egg grill. Strauss is survived by his daughter, Crissa Brooke Strauss, and sister, Martha Goodman.^TBJ

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