The Oklahoma Bar Journal January 2026

B arbara Rauch of Oklahoma City died May 9, 2024. She was born April 26, 1944. Ms. Rauch fin ished high school on her own and graduated from OU. She received her J.D. from the OCU School of Law, during which time she interned at the Oklahoma attorney general’s office. Ms. Rauch became the chief environmental attorney for the state of Oklahoma after graduation. She relocated to the Cayman Islands for 12 years before returning to Oklahoma to work at the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, where she was employed until she was 70. M arjorie Maria Redbird of Choctaw died Oct. 20. She was born March 11, 1954. Ms. Redbird received her J.D. from the OU College of Law. L arry Keith Shaw of Bethany died Sept. 14. He was born March 2, 1944, in Altus. Mr. Shaw graduated from Altus High School and OSU, where he earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in civil engineering and was honored with the Engineering Saint Patrick Salute Award. He served on the OSU Board of Engineers for sev eral years and enjoyed meeting with engineering students. Mr. Shaw received his J.D. from the OCU School of Law in 1975. He spent most of his career in the oil and gas business, especially working with offshore facilities. He lived overseas for several years in Singapore and England and conducted most of his work in the Middle East, China, Singapore, Europe and the North Sea. While there, he was always involved in coaching and working with the children of fellow expats at the American schools. After

led him to help others with social security disability and catastrophic personal injuries. R andy Clayton Parsons of Shawnee died July 20. He was born June 14, 1947, in Shawnee. He graduated from Shawnee High School in 1965. Mr. Parsons attended East Central University after high school but was soon drafted into the military. He served in the U.S. Air Force as an aircraft electrician during the Vietnam War from 1996 to 1970, when he was honorably discharged. He graduated from East Central University, where he was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, with a bachelor’s degree in English and history. Mr. Parsons received his J.D. from the OCU School of Law in 1975. He started his legal career by joining his father’s law firm, which became Parsons & Parsons. In 1995, he opened his own practice, where he practiced until his retirement in 2013. He received his 50-year milestone anniversary pin as an OBA member in 2025. Mr. Parsons was also a member of the American Trial Lawyers Association. Even after retirement, he enjoyed talking to old clients and continuing to give legal advice. W illiam W. Pritchard of Tulsa died March 17. He was born March 20, 1951, in Tulsa. He attended College High, where he played varsity basketball with his brother and best friends. Mr. Pritchard graduated with honors from the University of Kansas, where he pledged Sigma Chi, with a bachelor’s degree in history. He received his J.D. from the TU College of Law in 1975. He served as general counsel at Parker Drilling Co. for 23 years.

as the city attorney for Marlow, Comanche, Rush Springs and Alex. He was also a bar examiner, creating questions for the bar exam and grading them. R obert Richard Hamilton of Dallas died Oct. 30. He was born April 2, 1937, in Fort Worth. He received his J.D. from the OU College of Law in 1961. Mr. Hamilton joined the U.S. Army, which became a 42-year-long career. He served as an attorney for the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command in St. Louis and then for the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command in Huntsville, Alabama, where he managed defense contracts. H elen M. Kannady of Jenks died July 29. She was born July 4, 1931, in Broken Arrow and graduated from Will Rogers High School. Fostering children inspired her to attend college to become a social worker, which then led her to law school to work in the juvenile court. The opening for a spe cial judgeship at the juvenile bureau came before Ms. Kannady had finished law school. With special per mission from the Oklahoma Supreme Court, she began the assignment with the assurance that she would com plete law school and the bar exam. She received her J.D. from the TU College of Law. When the time was right, she stepped aside from that position to practice family law. M ark Dewayne Nation of Oklahoma City died Nov. 30. He was born Jan. 25, 1960, in Oklahoma City. Mr. Nation grad uated from OU with bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He received his J.D. from the OCU School of Law in 1991. His spinal cord injury

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THE OKLAHOMA BAR JOURNAL