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.
Gordon McCool
McCool, 75, of Gilmer, died March 18,
2019. He received his law degree from the University of Houston Law
Center and was admitted to the Texas Bar in 1972. McCool was an attorney
in the Law Office of Gordon McCool in Gilmer from 1979 to 2019. He was a
past president of Upshur County Bar Association and a member of the
American Association for Justice and the Order of Barons. McCool was
also a dairy farmer and served as a member of the board of directors of
several milk marketing organizations. He worked as an electrical
engineer in the space program prior to law school. McCool is survived by
his wife of 52 years, Sharon McCool; daughter, attorney Melanie McCool;
mother, Jean McCool; brothers, Al McCool and Tracy McCool; and five
grandchildren.
Bernard Hirsh
Hirsh, 102, of Dallas, died April 1,
2019. He received his law degree from the University of Texas School of
Law and was admitted to the Texas Bar in 1939. Hirsh worked for the
Texas Defense Guard, the U.S. War Food Administration, various insurance
companies, and Milliners Supply Company in Dallas. He was a longtime
member of the Dallas Bar Association. Hirsh was a lifelong volunteer,
serving as president of Temple Emanu-El in Dallas and of the National
Federation of Temple Brotherhoods. He was a loving husband and father
and enjoyed traveling the world. Hirsh is survived by his sons, Richard
Hirsh, Robert Hirsh, and Terry Hirsh; daughter, Cristy Hirsh; stepsons,
George Eskin and Edward Gottlieb; four grandchildren; and two
great-grandchildren.
I. Allan Lerner
Lerner, 92, of Houston, died February
28, 2019. He served in the U.S. Air Force. Lerner received his law
degree from the University of Texas School of Law and was admitted to
the Texas Bar in 1951. He was a solo practitioner in LaMarque and a city
attorney for LaMarque and League City from 1954 to 1980 and judge of the
56th Judicial District Court in Galveston from 1980 to 1996. Lerner was
a member of the Texas Law Review. He served with integrity.
Lerner is survived by his sons, Robert Lerner and Randal Lerner;
daughter, Donna Mazow; four grandchildren; and three
great-grandchildren.
Paul Chapman Isham
Isham, 77, of Albuquerque, New Mexico,
died April 6, 2019. He received his law degree from the University of
Texas School of Law and was admitted to the Texas Bar in 1967. Isham
served in the U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps and the Air
Force Reserve for 35 years, retiring as a lieutenant colonel. He was a
municipal law attorney in Denton, West Lake, Fort Worth, Austin, Grand
Prairie, Huntsville, and New Braunfels and in private practice in Fort
Worth and Austin. Isham played college football at Washington University
in St. Louis, being named to the Washington University Football
Centennial Team and the Washington University Hall of Fame. He ran 35
marathons, skied, and logged many miles on the tandem bicycle with his
wife, Anne. Isham climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. He is survived by his wife
of 40 years, Anne Shannon Lewis Isham; son, Donald Isham; daughter,
Kathryn Yurkovich; brother, John Isham; sister, Mary Brown; four
grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
Marla D.
Jones
Jones, 58, of The Woodlands, died April
19, 2019. She received her law degree from Baylor Law School and was
admitted to the Texas Bar in 1986. Jones worked with Jackson Walker in
Dallas from 1986 to 1997 and later with Anadarko Petroleum in The
Woodlands from 1997 until her retirement. She enjoyed entertaining at
her ranch near Rockdale. Jones was an avid reader and liked to garden
and travel. Her favorite places to visit were Napa, California, and New
York City. Jones is survived by her husband of 20 years, Randle G.
Jones; sons, Chris Price and Mitchell Price; daughter, Allie Jones;
father, Howard Dunn; mother, Merle Dunn; and brothers, Brett Dunn, Matt
Dunn, and Scott Carter.
Evelyn Marie Conner Hicks
Hicks, 67, of Dallas, died March 7,
2019. She received her law degree from Texas Southern University
Thurgood Marshall School of Law and was admitted to the Texas Bar in
1980. Hicks was an attorney for the U.S. Department of Education Office
for Civil Rights in Dallas from 1980 to 1987; a partner in the Law
Offices of Donald W. Hicks Sr. in Dallas from 1987 to 2009; and an
income partner in Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson in Dallas from
2009 to 2019. She was a member of the Dallas City Plan Commission, the
Dallas Area Rapid Transit Board, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Hicks was interested in helping children with special needs. She was an
excellent cook and was in love with her grandchildren. Hicks is survived
by her husband of 46 years, attorney Donald W. Hicks Sr.; son, Donald W.
Hicks II; stepdaughter, Shana Hicks Randall; brother, James Richard
Conner; sisters, Jo Alice Conner and Clara Conner; and seven
grandchildren.
John Houston Withers
Withers, 83, of Dallas, died March 18,
2019. He received his law degree from Southern Methodist University
School of Law and was admitted to the Texas Bar in 1964. Withers served
in the U.S. Army Reserve in field artillery from 1958 to 1966. He was an
attorney with Harrison & Withers in Dallas from 1964 to 1968; with
Martin, Harrison & Withers in Dallas from 1968 to 1979; with Martin,
Withers & Box in Dallas from 1979 to 1986; with the Law Office of
John H. Withers in Dallas from 1986 to 1996; and with Withers &
Withers in Dallas from 1996 to 2019. Withers was on the revisions
committee for the Texas Family Law Practice Manual from 1992 to
1997 and again from 2002 to 2019; a council member of the State Bar of
Texas Family Law Section in 1990; and on the Dallas Bar Association
Family Law Section Board of Directors from 1986 to 1991. He enjoyed
gardening. Withers is survived by his wife of 60 years, JoAnn Withers;
son, attorney John Withers Jr.; daughters, Elaine Lozano and Angela
Meyer; seven grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Bradley Carson Miles
Miles, 84, of San Angelo, died April
5, 2019. He received his law degree from the University of Texas School
of Law and was admitted to the Texas Bar in 1958. Miles was Taylor
County district attorney and judge of Taylor County Court of Law in
Abilene from 1958 to 1967, and in private practice in general law in
Abilene from 1965 to 1968 and in San Angelo from 1968 to 2018. He was a
Texas Bar Foundation fellow. Miles was admitted to practice before the
U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. He enjoyed
traveling, gardening, and attending church service. Miles is survived by
his son, attorney Matthew Carson Cottingham Miles; daughter, Melanie
Miles Hirschfeld; and four grandchildren.
Stephen A.
Terry
Terry, 81, of Dallas, died November
26, 2018. He received his law degree from the University of Texas School
of Law and was admitted to the Texas Bar in 1965. Terry first practiced
at Turner, Rodgers, Winn, Scurlock & Terry, where he worked with his
father, George Terry; and then as a private practitioner in Dallas,
focusing on real estate and related transactions. He served as editor of
the Texas Law Review while in law school. Terry enjoyed being
with his friends doing outdoor activities and pursued the betterment of
wildlife. He liked spending time with his family and friends and never
met a stranger. Terry loved learning and was dedicated to finding the
answer to complicated facts in his practice of law. He is survived by
his wife of 31 years, Celesta Segerstrom, and sister, Marcia Terry
Johnson.
Murray Edward “Butch” Malakoff
Malakoff, 65, of San Antonio, died
September 18, 2018. He received his law degree from Texas Southern
University Thurgood Marshall School of Law and was admitted to the Texas
Bar in 1979. Malakoff was an attorney with John Fitzgibbon; a solo
practitioner; prosecuting attorney for the Laredo Municipal Court;
assistant district attorney for the city of Houston in the 1980s and
again in the late 1990s; with Larry Watts and Associates in Houston;
with Alvarez & Norton in Laredo; and with the Houston Police
Patrolmen’s Union. He was certified in labor and employment law by the
Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Malakoff enjoyed hunting in his
early years and was an avid enthusiast in the collection of specialized
firearms. He was a lover and collector of classical music. Malakoff is
survived by his wife, Sylvia V. Malakoff; son, Morris E. Malakoff;
brother, A.F. “Pancho” Malakoff; sister, Rosellin Malakoff Maddox; and
six grandchildren.
Oscar Turner III
Turner, 81, of Katy, died January 15,
2019. He served in the U.S. Navy Reserve. Turner received his law degree
from South Texas College of Law and was admitted to the Texas Bar in
1964. He was a loan officer for First City National Bank of Houston from
1967 to 1970 and for Southwest Bank of Texas in Houston from 1970 to
1973; and president of West End Bank in Houston from 1973 to 1978.
Turner was an artist, writer, and taught the Bible. He is survived by
his wife of 56 years, Claire Chavanne Turner; daughters, Lisa Taylor,
Paige Swiggart, Lindy Minter, and Marlo Wise; and 15 grandchildren.
Robert E. Holmes Jr.
Holmes, 66, of Dallas, died April
12, 2019. He received his law degree from Southern Methodist University
School of Law and was admitted to the Texas Bar in 1981. Holmes was a
partner in McBeth, Robertson & Holmes from 1981 to 1982; an
associate of Koons, Rasor, Fuller & McCurley from 1982 to 1992; a
partner in Robertson & Holmes from 1992 to 1995; and a partner in
Holmes Diggs from 1995 to 2019. He was certified in family law by the
Texas Board of Legal Specialization in 1986. Holmes was an American
Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers fellow from 1991 to 2019 and an
International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers fellow from 2007 to 2019,
serving on the USA Chapter Board of Managers from 2013 to 2016. He was a
distinguished alumnus of the University of Texas at Dallas and the
school of economic sciences named a professorship in his honor in 2014.
Holmes enjoyed golfing, traveling, and watching the Dallas Cowboys and
New England Patriots. He is survived by his wife of 21 years, Wendy
Holmes; son, Austin Holmes; brother, David Holmes; and sister, Carol
Lake.TBJ