Edward L. Von Hohn Jr. , of Dallas, Texas, passed away on Friday, February 6th, joining his Lord in Heaven.
Born December 13, 1964 in Bessemer, Alabama, Edward led a full life leading his community and earning multiple distinctions along the way. While his accomplishments were notable, Ed's true spirit lies in leadership and caring for others. Always with a smile on his face, Ed was a gregarious person who could always make you laugh. His achievements in his professional career were only exceeded by his generosity, a unique ability to bring out the very best in others, his dedication to his family, and his desire to share his blessings with others.
He is survived by his children whom he loved dearly Harrison (7) and Anna Jane (5) and his mother, Wyla Hohn, and grandmother, Maxine Jenkins of Sun City, Arizona. His father Edward Hohn Sr. and wife Patty of Phoenix, Arizona. Also survived by his brother Kristopher Von Hohn, and his wife Jacquelynn Von Hohn of Houston, Texas; as well as his sisters, Ilsa Weaver, and her husband, Trent Weaver of Waco, Texas and their children, Taryn, Taylor, Trent Jr. and Tatum; Kirsten Howren, and her husband, Todd Howren of Austin, Texas, and their children Hayden and Heath; Isolda Griffin, and her husband Jagger Griffin of Phoenix, Arizona, and their children Mackenzie Griffin and Stevie Patterson; and Ursla Null, and her husband Matthew Null of Denver, Colorado.
Edward, an expert in the field of law, was noted for his ability to make us all laugh, his generosity toward others and his dedication to the betterment of his community. He graduated from Baylor University in 1987, receiving his B.A., with honors. Immediately upon graduation he entered Baylor Law School receiving his J.D in 1990. Edward began his career as a law clerk for Federal District Judge Sam B. Hall, in Marshall, Texas. As a rising star in the legal field, he later secured a position with Nix, Patterson and Roach having the privilege to represent clients in several landmark cases.
He went on to serve as lead litigation attorney for Data Treasury, in many precedent setting cases, while he continued to focus his works on Products Liability Law; Personal Injury Law; Toxic Torts; Intellectual Property; and Patent Litigation. His expertise in Intellectual Property Rights led him to successfully protect businesses and individual rights both nationally and internationally. Additionally, while as a Senior Partner at Nix, Patterson and Roach, LLP, Edward helped to build a team of lawyers who led the field in successful patent protection and legal securities. Most recently Edward served as lead legal counsel for Agora Entertainment Partners, LLP.
Ed’s immense leadership skills were further evidenced through the following organizations: Phi Delta Phi Member, Harvey M Richey; Moot Court Society, Adjunct Professor, Paralegal Studies, East Texas Baptist University, 1991-1992, District 1 Director, Texas Young Lawyers Association, 1994-1995, Texas Young Lawyers Liaison, State Bar of Texas Court Rules/Administration of Justice Committee, 1994, Recipient, President’s Award of Merit, Texas Young Lawyers Association, 1996, Chairperson, Federal Court Practice Committee, 1996 TYLA; Chairperson, Technological Support Committee, 1995-1996; TYLA, President, 1994-1996 and TYLA Treasurer, 1997, Daingerfield Chamber of Commerce; ATLA Texas State Director New Lawyers Division, 1995-1996.
Memorial service will be held at 1:00pm Saturday, February 14th, in the sanctuary of First Baptist Church of Daingerfield, 202 W W M Watson Boulevard. Visitation immediately following. Afterwards, Edward will be laid to rest at a private family service. If desired, the family suggests memorial donations in Edward’s name to Global Centurion at www.globalcenturion.org a philanthropic organization that embodies Edward’s vision for ending abuse against children.
12 comments:
a beautiful tribute - we are praying for you guys!
Sorry to hear about your loss.. a very touching tribute to him... I am praying for you guys during this difficult time.
This is a touching tribute. You two and your family are in our thoughts & prayers. May God bring you all comfort during this difficult time.
Kris and Jacquie - so sorry to hear about this loss. Know that I will be praying for you and your family.
angie
I am still in shock. In the one year that I knew Ed, I found him to be THE most alive and enthusiastic person I have ever had the honor of meeting. I'll miss his laughter, wisdom and kindness.
My thoughts and prayers are with you all.
Guy Noffsinger ~ Guy Noffsinger Photography
Ed sent me a text message early Thursday morning as he was boarding a plane, saying he would be at LAX by 9 a.m. Right around that time, he texted me again and told me he was about to rent a car and drive to my house in Corona del Mar, and it wasn’t long before that when I found out that he was “in route.”
Ed arrived at my house around 10 a.m. on Thursday morning. My phone rang and it was him telling me he was outside. As I came out I saw Ed approaching the house wearing his trademark hat and boots and smoking a brown cigarette. Although the cigarette was almost new I could see his effort of avoiding going into my house while still smoking as he quickly got rid of it after only two or three puffs. Inside, he seemed curious about our modest beach cottage. Anyone with Ed’s lifestyle could refer to this place as a small and cramped little house, but as I gave Ed the 5-cent tour, he seemed interested in every aspect of our small house including my kids’ room and even every photograph on the wall. I asked him if he was hungry and he said yes, so I suggested that rather than going to a regular restaurant, we should go to one of our local breakfast cafes. He seemed to love the idea and we jumped into my electric beach cart, buckled up, and took a two minute ride to Rose’s Cafe. Ed seem to enjoy the ride as much as my kids’ friends do. Once there he ordered a breakfast deluxe burrito and two Perrier’s. I bumped into my friend Vicky, a mom of one my kid’s friends, and as I introduced her to Ed, she seemed shocked to have Ed give her a hug as if he had known her forever, and seem genuinely interested in knowing her story. Ed and I sat down outside at an umbrella table and ate our meal while chatting about our movie project. He would throw out ideas about the film but he always made sure I knew they were just ideas and never things he would want to force on anyone. His natural curiosity was only matched by his humility. We talked about his partner Jace, the man he trusted completely when it came to projects to work on and whose decisions he seriously respected, even if he disagreed with them at one time or another. When it came time to make a decision, “I do what Jace says,” he said while devouring his meal. He felt very safe with Jace as a partner. After we finished eating I drove him to what I call “my office,” which is a public bench at the edge of Lookout Point in Corona del Mar, a raised point above the harbor entrance, from where you can admire sailboats on their way in and out, the beach, and a view that, on a good day like Thursday was, would allow you to see for miles down the coast. We sat and put our feet up on a metal railing, which was the only thing between us and a 50 foot drop to the sea. Ed seemed tired, but blamed it on the early flight from Dallas, and he would look at the view from every angle he could and he admired Catalina Island 26 miles across the water. We were there for a good hour as we chatted mostly about movies, my passion and Ed’s curiosity. He mentioned that he hoped our movie would be just the first one of many he would want to do that would address social issues he cared about. During the last few months I had learned about his passion about making things right for people who are not as lucky as some. From an enterprise like Global Centurion, to making a movie that could make us think, Ed wanted to make a difference in this world, period. We sat there until he said, “I could do this all day, but I’m going to fall asleep here.” We drove back to the house and sat on our couch and he asked me if I would consider Morgan Freeman as our main character. Amazing idea, I thought, but Freeman was probably too busy or expensive to get, yet Ed never seemed intimidated by anything, everything was always a possibility. After a few minutes he rose from the couch and I walked him to his car. He hugged me as I made fun of him for not reading more scripts I have given him, but he said he had read so much in his law career that now he tried to avoid doing so much reading. Ed hugged me again. “I’ll come again soon, but I still need to get you up to the studio,” he said as he drove off and waved good-bye. I think many people may wonder what Ed’s last day was like. I feel honored that I was able to share a couple of hours with him and that we both spent sometime together looking out from the bluff and into the blue earth in Ed’s last day on it. I will miss him.
Javier Reyna
jr@javierreyna.com
I have known Ed for only a year or two, but I observed that he either liked you or he didn’t, and if he did he treated you as if he’d known you forever. I’d get a warm hug and kiss on the cheek whenever he’d come to my office or I went out to his – not very business like ( I’m an attorney doing the patent and trademark legal work for his business and other ventures) – but that was Ed. He always greeted me as if I was a long time friend. He always asked how my teenage daughter was doing (actually he’d ask “How’s the princess?”). When I offered to stop by Agora on Wednesday to bring him some documents he needed for his travels, but mentioned I’d have my daughter with me, he immediately offered to give her the full tour of the facilities and seemed excited that he could share the vision of which he was so proud. He was very busy as always, but he thought she’d be awed and I think wanted to see that happen. He loved seeing people awed and one of the words frequently emanating from his mouth was “AWESOME!!!!!!” Ed was a go-getter with not much patience for the slow pace that unfortunately accompanies many aspects of non-trial law. As an example, I informed him that I had filed a trademark application for a logo an hour earlier, and he immediately wanted to know if it had been accepted or at least how it was going. (It usually takes six months at a minimum to hear anything). I heard him tell many people in business meetings , when explaining how he’d transitioned from full time trial law to business, about how much he loved his mom and his kids and his siblings, how he had a passion to do good in the world. Total conviction, no holds barred.
Back to that Wednesday, we did stop by Agora Entertainment a little later than we expected to do so, and Ed was out running errands. I decided to just leave the documents for him, and not to wait for him to come back as I knew he probably had a lot on his plate. We didn’t get to see him because, of course, Ed has moved on now. There’s no doubt he will be missed terribly by his family, friends and business associates. He was too young and had so much to do here. Someday, the rest of us will find out the answer to “why?” I think Ed is probably past the “why” and is busy rallying a troop of angels to get off their clouds and do something for the world. A warrior/angel was his symbol for himself and his business. I suspect the warror/angel’s influence is not through yet.
We are praying for y'all for comfort and for peace during this time. We love you so much!
Ed what a loving, giving person. That unforgettable smile. I pray for you all.
Kris...Im so sorry to hear about this difficult time you and your family are going through. Allie and I will be praying for you.
Kristopher, you know Ed and I go back 28 years, from Arcadia to Baylor to Dallas and now. I know he is doing cartwheels in heaven with our Savior!
Let's catch up and I want to encourage you with Ed and my latest conversation. I am sad and will miss Ed, my longest and one of my dearest brothers. Good seeing you on Saturday. LORD bless.
I am about 3 years late, but I just found out about Ed's passing away. There are only a few people that leave a such huge imprint on you that you never forget them even though you have spent only a limited amount of time together. Ed is one of those rare individuals.
I was a fellow summer clerk with Ed during the summer of 1989 in Houston, at the venerable law firm of Fulbright & Jaworski. I was from a law school in California and, being an Asian and having shown up after half the summer was gone, I was feeling a little out of place. Ed, with his bright smile, was one of the first fellow clerks to say hello and he looked in on me every day to make sure that I was fitting in well. He had no reason to, other than that he was just that kind of person, always looking out to help others. We went out to lunch and dinner together frequently, and it was always a lot of fun just sitting back and listening to him tell stories. One just knew even back then that, beside being a great person, Ed would become a first rate trial lawyer (as a fellow lawyer, I know that the two are not necessarily all that compatible). He was friendly, compassionate, intelligent, funny, positive and confidence inspiring. I would have wanted him to my lawyer if I absolutely had to win a case before a jury.
We kept in touch for a few years after law school and then I moved out from California to Asia, where I have been since then. We gradually stopped corresponding, as our worlds evolved to different continents and time zones, but I would remember Ed from time to time and it would always bring a big smile to my face. I would always tell myself that, if I am ever near Daingerfield, Texas, I would surprise him by dropping in his office and he would give me a great, big hug. I thought of Ed today for some reason and, while googling him, found out that he had passed away. It always made me happy to know that somewhere Ed was brightening up his corner of the world and making people around him laugh and inspiring them. I feel a profound sense of loss for them as well as me. But I am also glad to know that Ed has touched many others in the way that he has touched me and leaves behind a loving family and friends.
Ed, you were a true friend, and you will be missed, even from half way around the world.
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