Homer Lodell Deakins, Jr.

Born on September 2, 1935, in Longview, Texas, Homer L. Deakins grew up in a close-knit family that shaped the values he carried throughout his life. Although he became one of the nation's most respected labor lawyers, he was equally devoted to his family.

Homer was the youngest of three children born to Kathryn Frances Chandler Deakins and Homer L. Deakins, Sr. The brothers were rambunctious, but their older sister looked after them, and they did what she told them. He was very attached to his older brother, Jim, and his beloved sister, Yyvonne (“YV”), and the three remained close throughout their lives. YV died when she was 45 of breast cancer, and while she was sick, Homer’s new boss in Greenville told him to cancel his trip to see her because a union election was scheduled. He refused, went anyway, and luckily kept his job. After Jim's health declined, Homer flew to Tyler, Texas, every month during the last year and a half of his brother's life to spend time at his bedside.

Growing up, Homer worked after school, on weekends, and during summers in a men's clothing store in Longview, where he developed an appreciation for fine tailoring that became one of his lifelong trademarks. Impeccably dressed, he was as well known for his elegant suits as he was for his warm smile. He loved his mother’s southern cooking, especially her pinto beans, cornbread and chicken-fried steak. He developed a love of cars as his father was in the car business, and his dad always planned for Homer to follow him. At Longview High School, he was voted "Most Popular" by his classmates before graduating in 1953.

He attended Southern Methodist University, where he joined Kappa Alpha fraternity and became a football cheerleader for the Mustangs. Standing 6-foot-4, Homer delighted crowds by lifting fellow cheerleaders overhead during halftime performances. Homer would gladly show you a picture of himself executing a perfect herkie while touching his toes.

His lifelong friend and sister-in-law, Sue Deakins, affectionately remembered him as "a rascal" during school and college. His sister, YV, occasionally loaned him her pink Cadillac convertible to drive around the SMU campus, mostly because, he said, it attracted plenty of attention from the coeds. Sue remembered one occasion when she stopped by her sorority house and found one of her sisters to be very ill. The friend explained that she and Homer Deakins had skipped class and spent the day drinking beer in a tree.

He became more serious when he decided to study law. Graduating from SMU in 1957 with a degree in Business Administration, Homer again informed his father that he was not going into the family car business. He married Joane Lipscomb that same year, who worked to put him through the University of Texas School of Law, where he served on the Texas Law Review and graduated cum laude in 1960.

During his final year at UT, prominent firms came to campus to recruit graduating students. His top choice was Fulbright & Jaworski, a large firm in Houston, so he stood in that line first. The student ahead of him said he heard the firm wanted to add a labor lawyer, so when asked what area of law he hoped to practice, Homer said labor law, and they offered him his first job in 1960. That decision launched the distinguished legal career he would build over the almost seven decades that followed.

Homer loved labor law, which seemed only natural since he was born on Labor Day in 1935, the same year that the Wagner Act, which created the National Labor Relations Act, was passed. Though a large firm, F&J had few labor lawyers. His friend Blake Tartt from Houston told Homer he had run into Frank Ogletree at an ATO alumni gathering, and Ogletree mentioned that his labor law firm in Greenville was looking for an associate. Homer joined the Greenville firm in 1967 and became a name partner in 1968. Ten years after moving to Greenville, Homer left to start the firm he devoted his life to and was so proud of.

On Valentine’s Day in 1977, he cofounded the firm later known as Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak and Stewart. Ogletree Deakins began life as a regional firm with 16 attorneys and an office in Greenville and Atlanta. Today, Ogletree Deakins has over 1,100 attorneys and 60 offices in the US, Canada, Mexico, and Europe, making it one of the largest labor and employment law firms in the world.

As managing shareholder for sixteen years, Homer helped guide that growth by expanding the firm's practice into employee benefits, workplace safety, and immigration law. He represented employers in many of the nation's most significant labor matters and negotiated major collective bargaining agreements, like Honolulu’s $5 billion rail project. Homer was a respected educator and mentor, creating and conducting sophisticated labor relations training programs for clients. He handled some of the country's most closely watched union elections, including two in foreign-owned automobile assembly plants in the US, winning those elections by large margins. He was a distinguished trial lawyer, mentored generations of attorneys, and was repeatedly honored by his peers.

Homer earned numerous awards recognizing his leadership and excellence in the legal profession. Among those, he was very proud to be a Fellow in the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers and to sit on its Board of Governors for many years. Homer was named “Lawyer of the Year” four times in both labor and employment law by Best Lawyers, and was listed in the Best Lawyers in America every year since 1987. He received similar awards from professional organizations he was honored to be associated with. In 2014, Ogletree Deakins established the Homer Deakins Service Award in his honor to recognize individuals who exemplify selfless service.

Homer was not just a great lawyer. He was a great dad to daughters Melissa, Sherrill, and Morgan, whom he respectively called "Big Deal," "Perrill," and "Shug", and they adored him. Melissa remembers that when she was little, he would come home from work, set her on his lap and ask about her day. When he tucked her in, he would sing "You Are My Sunshine" or "The Eyes of Texas Are Upon You." Sherrill recalled him helping her study for vocabulary tests, especially the time he explained that the word “eminent” meant "Standing out from the ordinary, like your father." Morgan cherished her Saturday trips to Henri's Bakery, her dad walking while she rode her bike beside him.

He quietly taught his daughters lessons that stayed with them throughout their lives: treat everyone with kindness and respect, regardless of their looks or station; look for the silver lining in every cloud; make your point and move on; and help people without telling others about it. He taught them to be safe drivers, admonishing them to always brake when they saw a child. Each time one of them left the house, without exception, he would look her in the eye and say, “Be VERY careful.”

Homer was equally devoted to his six grandchildren. He never forgot their birthdays. He took them to the beach, he babysat, he went to their games, and he bragged about them to anyone who would listen.

Homer had many hobbies. He was an avid student of history and especially loved reading about Winston Churchill. His fascination with Morgan automobiles led him to England, where he met Peter Morgan and eventually became the US distributor for Morgan Motor Cars. He founded the Morgan Car Club of America and organized numerous car meets. His dad would have smiled knowing that he eventually entered the automobile business, even if the cars were not Chryslers.

An accomplished athlete throughout his life, Homer enjoyed tennis in his younger years before discovering his lifelong passion for golf. He regularly played with a special group at Cherokee Town & Country Club, as well as friends, partners, and clients. He loved to play with his son-in-laws, Ron and R.B. He played golf courses in the British Isles, around the United States, and often in Cashiers, NC, with lifelong friends like Lewis Smoak and Carl Vogt, both of whom he called “Caddie”.

Homer had a strong faith and considered going into the ministry after college. He was a longtime member of Northside Methodist Church before joining Peachtree Road Methodist Church with his late wife, Barbara Mason Deakins. Both were involved in raising money for the new sanctuary at PRUMC and were easily recognizable at church, Homer in a crisp pink button down and tie, and his wife in one of her signature Sunday hats. Homer also loved to hear Andy Stanley preach at what he called “that church in the box”. He insisted on arriving late as he said he could “not abide that rock music.”

Homer became widely regarded as one of the nation's foremost labor lawyers, but his family and friends will remember him just as much for his booming laugh, dry wit, elegant wardrobe, funny stories, generous spirit, and unwavering support for those around him.

He was predeceased by his parents, Kathryn Chandler Deakins and Homer L. Deakins, Sr.; his sister, Yyvonne Deakins Collins; his brother, James F. Deakins; and his wife, Barbara Mason Deakins.

He is survived by his daughters, Melissa Stang (Ron), Sherrill Deakins, and Morgan McCutcheon (R.B.); by his cherished grandchildren, Emma and Elle Stang, Jack Bauerlein, Mac, Henry, and Collins McCutcheon; and by his beloved sister-in-law, Sue Deakins.

A memorial service will be held Monday, July 20, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. at Peachtree Road Methodist Church, 3180 Peachtree Road NE, Atlanta, Georgia.