Memorials March 2023
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.
Joe L. Abney
Abney, 80, of
Edmond, Oklahoma, died May 18, 2022. He received his law degree from
South Texas College of Law and was admitted to the Texas Bar in 1974.
Abney was a partner in Friloux, Smith, Woolf, and Abney in Houston from
1974 to 1979; a partner in Smith and Abney in Houston from 1980 to 1987;
and owner and partner in Joe L. Abney P.C. in Houston from 1987 to 1995.
He was a member of the Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, International and
the Oklahoma Anthropology Society. Abney is remembered as an avid
gardener, a voracious reader and book collector, and historian. Abney is
survived by his wife of 59 years, Paula Abney; daughter, Lisa Abney;
brother, Raymond Abney; and sister, Joy Crouch.
David Bryce Rosen
Rosen, 78, of
Mesquite, died May 11, 2022. He received his law degree from St. Mary’s
University School of Law and was admitted to the Texas Bar in 1971.
Rosen served in the U.S. Army from September 6, 1965, to June 5, 1968,
and was a captain in the Medical Services Corps. He was a law clerk with
Arthur A. Domangue & Associates in San Antonio from February 1969 to
July 1971; an attorney with Diamond, Leviton, Goodner, Winkle, Wells and
Harrison from December 1971 to March 1972; a prosecutor for the city of
Dallas from March 1972 to September 1972; an attorney with the Ordinance
Section from September 1972 to January 1973; a legal adviser for the
city of Dallas police from January 1973 to June 1979; city of Dallas
chief prosecutor from June 1979 to October 1982; an attorney with the
Law Offices of David B. Rosen in Dallas from January 1983 to April 1984
and again from January 1987 to March 1988; an attorney with the Law
Offices of Marc H. Richman in Dallas from April 1984 to January 1987;
and a judge with the city of Mesquite Municipal Court from March 14,
1988, to March 31, 2010. Rosen was chair of the Mesquite Credit Union
Board of Directors, a member of the John L. DeGrazier Masonic Lodge, and
a past president of the Mesquite Bar Association. He is remembered as a
kind, passionate, and understanding individual always ready to help
someone in need. Rosen is survived by his wife of 47 years, Cheryl
Goldman Rosen; son, Jason Ray Rosen; daughter, Heather Sarah Rosen; and
sister, Jo An Rosen.
David Walter Nelson
Nelson, 77, of
Austin, died November 8, 2022. He received his law degree from the
University of Texas School of Law and was admitted to the Texas Bar in
1970. Nelson was an associate of McGinnis, Lochridge and Kilgore in
Austin from 1971 to 1979; managing partner in Akin Gump Strauss Hauer
& Feld in Austin from 1979 to 2003; and a partner in Gross &
Nelson in Austin from 2003 to 2022. He is remembered as a champion
tennis player, having won the University Interscholastic League State
Boys Tennis Tournament Championship in 4A doubles with his partner in
1963 and being a member of the University of Texas tennis team that won
the Southwest Conference Championship in 1967; and being a member of the
Texas Cowboys and Sigma Chi fraternity at the University of Texas.
Nelson is survived by his wife of 29 years, Jennifer Nelson; sons, David
Allen Nelson and Luke Nelson; daughters, Lindsay Nelson and Lesley
Nelson; and brothers, Dr. John Nelson and attorney Daniel Nelson.
Charlie V. Gamblin
Gamblin,
73, of Brownwood, died December 26, 2022. He received his law degree
from St. Mary’s University School of Law and was admitted to the Texas
Bar in 1978. Gamblin served in the U.S. Marine Corps 1st Marine
Expeditionary Force in Vietnam. He opened his private law practice in
Brownwood in 1978. Gamblin is remembered for his love of travel around
the United States and abroad with his wife, Ginger; being a
problem-solver who could fix anything; and loving farming, ranching, and
the great outdoors. He is survived by his wife of 36 years, Ginger
Gamblin, and two brothers.
Hugh Edwin O'Fiel
O’Fiel, 76, of
Beaumont, died January 19, 2023. He received his law degree from Baylor
Law School and was admitted to the Texas Bar in 1969. O’Fiel served in
the U.S. Army from 1969 to 1970. He practiced law for two years with his
father, Hubert O’Fiel, until opening his own practice, where he remained
until his retirement at the age of 65. O’Fiel is survived by his wife,
Karla O’Fiel; sons, attorney Patrick O’Fiel and Matthew O’Fiel;
daughter, Linda Sue Otken; sister, Alex Stevens; and three
grandchildren.
Timothy Lynn Brown
Brown, 83, of
Austin, died December 30, 2022. He received his law degree from the
University of Texas School of Law and was admitted to the Texas Bar in
1966. Brown was an attorney with the Texas Water Rights Commission in
1966; head of the Environmental Division of the Office of the Texas
Attorney General; and was in private practice, focused on water law,
from 1982 to 2019. He was recognized with honorary lifetime membership
by the Texas Water Conservation Association; active in the State Bar of
Texas Environmental and Natural Resources Law Section, including a term
as chair; and helped lead a multi-state annual legal seminar in Santa
Fe, New Mexico, on the law of the Rio Grande. Brown is remembered for
his love of classical music and opera; history, boats, trains, and
classic cars, especially Jaguars; and attending soccer games, school
plays, football games, choir concerts, and dance recitals of his
grandchildren. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Pat Brown; sons,
James M. Brown, Michael G. Brown, and Eric S. Brown; brother, Thomas Guy
Brown; and four grandchildren.
