Scott Alan Ozmun

The Honorable Scott Alan Ozmun died on May 8, 2009, from cancer-related complications. Initially diagnosed with cancer at age 17, Scott battled cancer continuously and heroically for the last 8 years. He endured surgeries, chemotherapies, and radiations as a part of this war—he was a fighter. He was not a person dying from cancer. He was a person with cancer living his life to the fullest. Scott was born on September 30, 1958, in Cleveland, Ohio, and spent several years in New York, where he became an avid Buffalo Bills fan. He attended Georgetown University and served as student body president his senior year. He was most delighted that his daughter Delaney made a very recent decision to attend Georgetown and has now become a Hoya. Scott attended the University of Texas Law School and graduated with honors in 1985—thus also becoming a lifelong Longhorns fan. He worked as a briefing attorney for Justice William Kilgarlin of the Texas Supreme Court. He then spent 21 years with Bill Whitehurst, Tom Harkness, and the other wonderful attorneys, including his dear friend Mack Kidd, associated with the firm those many years. At the time of his death, Scott was President-elect of the Austin Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) and was on the Board of Directors of the Austin Bar Association and the Texas Trial Lawyers Association. He had also served as president of the Boards of Volunteer Legal Services, the Legal Aid Society of Central Texas, and the Austin Young Lawyers Association. Scott loved politics and all things Democratic. He first entered into Texas politics in 1984 as a volunteer for a State Representative race. He served as a precinct chair and was a member of the Finance Council of the Travis County Democratic Party. He served two terms as Travis County Democratic Party Chair from 2000-2004. He would be the first to acknowledge, however, that he had many friends who are Republicans—although he hoped to convince them of the error of their ways. Scott realized a dream when he ran for and won his seat on the 353rd District Court bench last year, and one of his few regrets was not having a longer time to serve as a judge. He loved his job and told us near the end of his life that he felt it was his calling. Scott is survived by his wife of twenty years, Beth Collum Ozmun, and by his two beautiful and much-adored daughters, Delaney Elizabeth (rising Hoya) and Kendall Lynne (rising artist). He is also survived by his parents, Bob and Peggy Ozmun of Slippery Rock, PA; by his brother, Randy Ozmun, also of Slippery Rock, PA; by Beth's family; and by friends too numerous to try to name them all. The family sends special thanks to Dr. Lawrence Tokaz, friend first and oncologist second, and to Dr. Lawrence Einhorn. A celebration of Scott's life will be held on Tuesday, May 12, at Riverbend Church, 4214 North Capital of Texas Highway, at 2:00 p.m., to be followed by a reception at St. Michael's Episcopal Church, 1500 North Capital of Texas Highway. The Reverend Janne Alro Osborne will officiate. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made to Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas in honor of Judge Scott Ozmun. Contributions can be mailed to 816 Congress Avenue, Suite 700, Austin, Texas 78701.