Ross A. Sears

SEARS, ROSS A. (1931 ~ 2022). The following is an obituary for Ross A. Sears, former Justice on the 14th Court of Appeals. The obituary was provided by Ross Sears's spouse Mariann Sears.

As I was going through some of Ross’s papers, I found a very detailed obituary he drafted in November 2018, just before undergoing quadruple bypass surgery. I’ve edited it a bit for length and consistency, but the substantive content is his. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did. Ross truly was a man for all seasons. ~Mariann

IN HIS OWN WORDS

Ross graduated from high school at Corpus Christi High School in Corpus Christi, Texas, in 1949. He attended Del Mar College in Corpus Christi where he studied pre-med. The Korean War broke out while he was attending Del Mar, and he and four friends joined the Air Force together. Ross was assigned to Radar Operators School in Biloxi, Mississippi. He graduated first in his class and was assigned to the 3rd Air Sea Rescue Unit in Korea as an Airborne Radar Operator. In Korea, he became part of a five-man crew on a Grumman S.A. 16, a twin-engine air-sea rescue plane. The crew’s motto was, “You ditch, we bitch.” The crew rescued many American and allied pilots and crewmembers. Ross was twice awarded the U.S. Air Force Air Medal for his service.

Ross was transferred from Korea to Japan, where he was stationed at Ashia Machi on the Japanese island of Kyushu. He was a member of the base football team and played other armed services football teams all over Japan. He was a “60-minute man” because he played both offense and defense. Ross was “drafted” by the 13th Air Force and sent to Clark Air Force base in the Philippines, where his sole duty was to play football for the 13th Air Force Elite team. He was later selected to play on the Air Force All-Star team.

Ross was honorably discharged from the Air Force in 1953 and transferred to the University of Texas at Austin to complete his undergraduate work. After college, Ross worked as a salesman for a world-renowned manufacturer of small household appliances in Chicago and Minneapolis. He won a national sales contest during his first year with the company.

In the early 1960s, Ross returned to Texas, married, and started a family. Sons Ross Allen Sears, II, and Terry Harold Sears were born in 1964 and 1966, respectively. Because he had for many years wanted to become a lawyer, he enrolled in the Bates College of Law at the University of Houston. Ross earned the American Jurisprudence award in four courses. He was a member of the Order of the Barons and Phi Delta Phi. Ross received his Juris Doctorate degree in January 1970 and worked as a Harris County Assistant District Attorney under Carol S. Vance. He was extremely proud of the fact that seven members from three generations of his immediate family graduated from the University of Houston Law Center.

In 1974, Ross formed Pharaoh Corporation and bought and sold scrap steel salvaged from sunken or breached ships. He fulfilled a life-long dream of obtaining a pilot’s license while operating Pharoah Corporation. He flew twin-engine aircraft throughout the Gulf Coast, the Caribbean, and Central America. When the federal government froze the sale of scrap steel to foreign countries, Ross returned to the practice of law. He joined old friends Larry Joe Doherty and Mark Vela in the law firm of Doherty, Vela, Poser, Sears, and Collins in 1978.

In 1982, Ross was elected as a justice to the 14th Court of Appeals, where he served for 12 years and wrote more than 4,000 opinions. In 1987, Ross married Mariann Sears, who was the love of his life. He retired from the 14th Court of Appeals on December 31, 1994. For more than a decade after his retirement, Judge Sears sat by assignment on Texas State Appellate and District Courts. He was also certified as a mediator and arbitrator during this time.

In 2007, Judge Sears became the Presiding Judge of the Fort Bend County Felony Drug Court and Felony Special Sanctions Court. Ross enjoyed this phase of his life very much because it afforded him the opportunity to positively and directly impact the lives of those who appeared in his court. He cherished the thank-you letters and expressions of gratitude sent by the many people he helped. Ross continued in this capacity until he retired for the second time in August 2017.

Ross was a long-time second homeowner in the beautiful mountain town of Crested Butte, Colorado. He was a member of the Union Congregational Church in Crested Butte. It was in this historic church on August 5th, 2012, that Ross and his beloved wife Mariann renewed their wedding vows on the occasion of their 25th anniversary.

In his leisure time, Ross loved to golf, hunt, and fly fish in the streams near Crested Butte. In 1995, Ross and several old friends teamed up to win the World Pro-Am of Golf in Ireland. Together with his sons, Ross also was an avid deer hunter and especially enjoyed hunting white tail in Mexico. In the mid-1990s, Ross was bitten by the acting bug. He performed in several feature films, television shows and commercials, and music videos. He was fortunate to improve upon his talents by learning from those he acted with, including Glenn Ford, Treat Williams, Beau Bridges, Martin Sheen, Matthew McConaughey, Ethan Hawke, Dwight Yoakum, Juliana Margoles, and Bo Hopkins.

Ross is survived by his wife of nearly 35 years, Mariann Sears; sons Ross A. Sears, II, and Terry H. Sears; daughters-in-law Victoria Sears and Cherry Sears; granddaughters Samantha, Mackenzie, and Madison Sears; grandson Taylor Sears; stepdaughters Debby King and Jessica Cyders; stepson Mark Roberts; and many cousins and nieces.

Judge Sears will be cremated, and his ashes will be interred in the Texas State Cemetery in Austin. Some of his ashes will be scattered from the top of Mt. Crested Butte, a place he loved deeply. Judge Sears will be dearly missed and fondly remembered by all who knew him.