Memorials November 2022
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.
R.A. “Ralph Albert” Apffel Sr.
Apffel, 91, of
Galveston, died August 1, 2022. He served in the U.S. Air Force during
the Korean War from 1951 to 1953. Apffel received his law degree from
St. Mary’s University School of Law and was admitted to the Texas Bar in
1960. He worked for Monsanto Chemical Company; was an attorney with
Baker, Callahan, and Brady in Galveston in 1960; an attorney with
Tramonte, Apffel, Urbani, and Tramonte for 15 years; and in private
practice specializing in family law, criminal law, and probate law from
1986 to 2022. Apffel was recognized as a 50-year lawyer by the State Bar
of Texas and the Galveston County Bar Association and served the city of
Galveston as a councilman from 1969 to 1973 and mayor from 1973 to 1977,
a time in which he was committed to the restoration and revitalization
of downtown Galveston and the historic Strand District. His peers and
adversaries praised him for his integrity, and he is remembered for his
love for his family, coaching his son through Little League, Pony, Colt,
and American Legion games, going on camping trips to Uvalde and the Frio
and Nueces rivers, and playing golf with his friends at the Galveston
Country Club. Apffel is survived by his wife of 64 years, Selena; son,
R.A. “Duke” Apffel Jr.; daughter, Dr. Lori Apffel Smith; and two
grandchildren.
Richard Langlois
Langlois,
78, of San Antonio, died September 12, 2022. He received his law degree
from St. Mary’s University School of Law and was admitted to the Texas
Bar in 1977. Langlois was a member of the U.S. District Court Western
District of Texas and U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit. He
served in the U.S. Army from June 2, 1969, to May 12, 1971. Langlois was
the owner of the Law Office of Richard E. Langlois in San Antonio from
1977 to 2022. He was a member of the State Bar of Texas Grievance
Committee in San Antonio. Langlois is remembered for his love of
photography, travel, and cooking. He is survived by his wife of 30
years, Judge Barbara Hervey, of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals;
sons, Edward Langlois and Christopher Hervey; daughter, Melissa Stryker;
brother, Bruce Langlois; sister, Sharon Andrews; and two
grandchildren.
George Elliott Bennett
Bennett, 98,
of The Woodlands, died May 13, 2022. He served in the U.S. Marines Corps
during World War II. Bennett received his law degree from South Texas
College of Law and was admitted to the Texas Bar in 1957. He worked as
litigation counsel to Travelers Insurance in Houston for 42 years and
also earned a real estate license, developing apartment complexes in the
Houston area until 1984. Bennett is remembered for his love of family
and traveling the world with his wife, Lou, especially to Hong Kong,
Machu Picchu, Agra, Moscow, Shanghai, and Antarctica. He is survived by
his wife of more than 65 years, Lou; sons, George Jr., Lenn, and Allen;
daughters, Pam, Lanya, and Grace; sister, Harriet Baron; 14
grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.
Peter Michael Lowry
Lowry, 79, of
Austin, died January 31, 2021. He received his law degree from the
University of Texas School of Law and was admitted to the Texas Bar in
1968. Lowry served in the U.S. Army Reserve until 1967. He was a
briefing attorney for the Texas Supreme Court; an attorney with
McGinnis, Lochridge and Kilgore in Austin for nine years, focused on
litigation, appeals, and administrative law; judge of the 261st District
Court in Travis County in 1977 and reelected to the bench to five
four-year terms; a local administrative judge for seven years; and after
retiring from the bench, an attorney practicing dispute resolution with
Meyers Lowry and Coates, later Meyers and Lowry. Lowry was editor of the
Texas Law Review; a member of the Delta Tau Delta social
fraternity, Sigma Delta Chi honorary journalism fraternity, and Phi
Delta Phi honorary legal fraternity; and was a member of the Austin Bar
Association and American Bar Association, and was a Texas Bar Foundation
fellow. He is remembered for his love of hunting and fishing, collecting
old books and antique prints, and spending time at his Blanco County
ranch. Lowry is survived by his wife, Mary Markley Lowry; three
daughters; and three grandsons.
E. Mabry Dellinger
Dellinger, 83, of Conroe, died December 4, 2021. He
received his law degree from South Texas College of Law and was admitted
to the Texas Bar in 1971. Dellinger served in the U.S. Naval Reserve as
a Judge Advocate General’s officer for 20 years, retiring as a
lieutenant commander. He was in private practice; a partner in Baily,
Dellinger, Lawrence and Vela, later known as Dellinger, Lawrence and
Baca, for 20 years; and in private practice again in the early 1990s.
Dellinger was a lifelong member of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo,
co-founder and member of the Re-Group BBQ Team, and member of the First
United Methodist Conroe and Foundations Sunday School class. He is
remembered for spending his retirement years with his wife, Carolyn,
sailing, golfing, and traveling the U.S. in their R.V. Dellinger is
survived by his wife of 34 years, Carolyn; daughter, Kimberly Lemons;
son, David Dellinger; and two grandchildren.
Roy Keezel
Keezel, 81, of
Washington, D.C., and Palestine, died August 15, 2022. He received his
law degree from the University of Houston and was admitted to the Texas
Bar in 1970. Keezel spent most of his career establishing and building
his own general practice. He is remembered for doing pro bono litigation
for causes that deeply mattered to him such as churches, prison
ministries, and organizations that served women and children. Keezel is
survived by his wife of 44 years, Janice; sons, William Jacob and Edward
Holman; daughter, Kelly Lauren Shoenfelt; and seven grandchildren.
Linda E. Heflin
Heflin, 74, of
Crosbyton, died October 20, 2021. She received her law degree from Texas
Tech University School of Law and was admitted to the Texas Bar in 1978.
Heflin served Halbert O. Woodward, chief judge for the Northern District
of Texas, and U.S. District Judge Samuel Cummings. She is remembered for
her intelligence, love of family, and her love of community and church.
Heflin is survived by her husband of 34 years, attorney Joe Heflin;
daughter, Ronna; stepdaughter, Jessica; and three grandchildren.
Armando P. Martinez
Martinez,
90, of Edinburg, died August 9, 2022. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps
during the Korean War. Martinez received his law degree from South Texas
College of Law and was admitted to the Texas Bar in 1967. He practiced
in Harris County and surrounding counties, handling federal and state
criminal cases; represented clients across Texas and in federal
jurisdictions throughout the U.S.; represented the League of United
Latin American Citizens as a member and counsel in numerous successful
and significant civil rights lawsuits; was lead counsel in more than 300
cases, earning the respect and admiration of clients, judges, and
lawyers; and practiced for 25 years in federal and state courts in South
Texas, primarily in Hidalgo County. Martinez was a member of the Lions
Club, where he dedicated countless hours and financial contributions to
assist heart patients from the U.S., Mexico, and Latin America. He is
remembered for protecting the interests of his clients without regard to
monetary reward and his belief that professionalism, patriotism, respect
for his fellow man, and principles of justice, equality, and charity
should motivate an attorney. Martinez is survived by his wife of 68
years, Pauline Garcia Martinez; sons, attorney Luis Armando Martinez,
attorney Ralph Ramiro Martinez, attorney Michael Gerard Martinez, and
Robert John Martinez; daughter, Sylvia Ann Martinez; five grandchildren,
and one great grandchild. Martinez is gone and resides with the Lord.
However, his legacy lives on. Martinez’s granddaughter, Megan Mikayla
Martinez-Rhodes, the daughter of Michael and Noralisa Martinez, is a
third-generation attorney. Semper Fidelis.TBJ
