Roy J. Rawls
09/29/1932 – 03/01/2026
Roy J. Rawls of Austin died on March 1, 2026. He was born in Gorman, Texas on September 29, 1932 to Harley and Wilma Rawls, now both deceased. His older sister, Jimmie Cooper, and his brother, Lowell, are also deceased. His younger sister, Patsy Locke, lives in Ft. Worth. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Texas and a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from the University of Texas School of Law in 1956. In that same year he was admitted to the State Bar of Texas.
He served in the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps from 1956 to 1978 and attained the rank of Captain. He was assigned tours of duty in the Middle East, Europe, Central America, and in various locations in the U.S. In Washington, D.C., he served for several years in the Secretary of the Navy’s Office of Legislative Affairs, dealing with the U.S. Congress, and later was appointed as an Appellate Judge on the Navy’s Court of Military Review after having served several years earlier as a trial judge.
He returned to Austin in 1978 and served for 7 years as Executive Administrator of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and 10 years as Executive Director of the Texas Center for the Judiciary, Inc., a non-profit corporation which provided continuing judicial education for the trial and appellate judges of Texas. After retirement, he lived and played a lot of golf at Onion Creek Club.
He is survived by his daughter, Kathryn Rolen and her husband, Ralph, of Louisville, Kentucky; son, Tony Rawls and his wife, Donna, of Bertram, Texas; daughter, Susan Odell of Park City, Utah; grandchildren, Ashley Swartwood and husband, Jesse, Chris Rawls, Emily Creedon and husband, Jason, and Daniel Rolen; and great-grandchildren, Levi and Jordan Swartwood.
Services will be held in Austin at Weed-Corley-Fish, 2620 South Congress Ave., on Friday, March 6 at 2:00 pm, followed by interment in the Gorman Oakland Cemetery on Saturday, March 7 at 2:00 pm.
Published by Austin American-Statesman from Mar. 4 to Mar. 5, 2026.
This obituary was published by Weed Corley Fish Funeral Homes and Cremation Services – South.
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