- Date Of Birth: April 12, 1945
- Date Of Death: February 1, 2022
- State: Texas
Larry Logan Warner
April 12, 1945 – February 1, 2022
On April 12, 1945, President Franklin D Roosevelt died and Larry Logan Warner was born in Washington DC. He was the first born of Oscar Logan Warner and Rosalie Gregoris Warner, the proverbial long, tall Texan and a sweet Italian lady. His sister Anita came along two years later. The family moved to Detroit, where Rosalie had grown up, but after experiencing a midwestern winter, they relocated to north Louisiana in the Shreveport area when Logan took a job in the oil patch.
Larry attended Catholic school and graduated from Jesuit High School where he developed his love of Latin. He also demonstrated a flair for the dramatic when his thespian talents were on exhibit in Shakespeare’s plays, Julius Caesar and Two Gentlemen of Verona. Larry played Caesar and Proteus and later used that talent in his writing and in the courtroom.
A proud Texas Longhorn, he graduated with a degree in Latin (yes really!) and took a stab at grad school. After a semester of that, Larry soon realized that teaching Latin was not the most lucrative profession, particularly since he was already married with a son, Lary (Scooter). Larry taught school for a while in the panhandle in Perryton, where daughter Lia was born. After contemplating a possible future as a lawyer, the final impetus was when his sister Anita started law school at LSU. Larry soon enrolled at UT and after the requisite three years, obtained his law degree.
Larry’s legal career was a bit peripatetic at first, as he moved around Texas, but he found his niche in the Rio Grande valley. More on that later, but the best thing that happened to him in the valley was that he met the love of his life, Norma Martinez. Larry and Norma were married for 35 years and together raised five children, Larry and Lia Warner, and Tony, Chris and Brian Zavaleta.
Larry was a scholar who loved languages, the proverbial quirky, absent minded professor, but someone who could quote chapter and verse of prose, poetry and case law. He served as a resource to members of the bar and presented at numerous seminars on appellate practice. On his way out the door to the hospital, he dictated a picture perfect brief.
Larry was admitted to practice in all courts, state and federal in Texas, as well as numerous US Courts of Appeals, and the US Supreme Court. He argued cases and took appeals in all those jurisdictions as well as the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands. Larry was Board Certified in Criminal Law and Civil Appellate Law, but more importantly he was Capital Appellate Counsel in multiple cases, literally arguing matters of life and death.
In his spare time as a lawyer, Larry served on bar committees regarding the rules of evidence and jury instructions. He assisted the state bar and counseled lawyers with alcohol and substance abuse problems, trying to save people from their self destructive tendencies. He was a good man who helped a lot of people, one case at a time for 47 years.
Larry was always fascinated with stamps and coins from around the world and began collecting both at an early age. Though not gifted athletically, he enjoyed scuba diving where he could float around and see the wonders of the deep. He was a proponent of the Second Amendment and practiced skeet shooting to sharpen those “right to bear arms” skills. At a young age, Larry became interested in ham radio and obtained his license, K5SNA, while in high school. How anyone could listed to static and squawks for hours on end puzzled all who knew him, but his radio room is papered with cards from all over the world. Maybe all that time inside was the impetus for him to get outside and play golf. The fact that he lived in a golf course community offered the opportunity to go out and try to master the intricacies of the game, another lifelong pursuit.
Larry served several terms in the Texas legislature as a representative where he was Don Quixote tilting at windmills, while trying to best represent his district. No good deed goes unpunished describes that venture which can be equally applied to service on the school board.
Larry’s favorite vacation was when the whole family met up for a week at the beach with the children and grandchildren. Then he could be Papa to all the little ones, while covered in sunscreen and a big hat. His time with his grandchildren brought him great joy.
Larry is survived by his beloved wife Norma, sister Anita, his son Lary, his daughter Lia Warner Lira and her husband Paz, children Joe Anthony, Grace, Dylan and Andrew Logan, son Tony, wife Wendy, and son Alex, son Chris, wife Jennifer, children Rowan and Dylan, son Brian, wife Kara and son Wyatt, and too numerous to mention nieces, nephews, cousins and in-laws.
Services will be on Saturday February 5, 2022, at 11am at St Anthony Catholic Church, 1015 E Van Buren, Harlingen, Texas, 78550.
