Darrell Eddy Jordan

Darrell Eddy Jordan, a true gentleman, distinguished lawyer, snazzy dresser, great storyteller, civic leader, loving husband, father and grandfather, died on Wednesday, January 30, 2019, in Dallas, after a brief illness. He was 80. Darrell loved the Texas Longhorns, rock & roll music, annual family beach trips to Gulf Shores, AL, fried shrimp and watching his grandkids' sports and activities. He was a vocal fan who delighted in providing "helpful" commentary to referees and umpires. As a founding member of the Lonesome Rangers season ticket group, he cheered on the Texas Rangers from his front row seat for 40 years. Darrell was born on June 28, 1938, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to parents Almon Eddy Jordan and Dorothy Jane Darrell Jordan. The Jordan family moved south to McAllen, Texas, when Darrell was in the third grade. He was exceptionally proud of the fact that his father, as director of the McAllen YMCA, was instrumental in integrating the facility. Darrell graduated from McAllen High School in 1956. He was smart and athletic, president of the student council, Speaker of the House at Boys' State and state finalist in extemporaneous speaking. He was a basketball captain, earned all-district and all-state honors, was the leading scorer in McAllen High School history at the time, as well as a state finalist in the 440-yard-dash. Amazingly, Darrell remembered final scores of his high school basketball games and how many points he and his younger brother scored. He always kept in touch with high school classmates and counted many of them among his closest lifelong friends. Darrell's blood turned burnt orange when he enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin and played on the freshman basketball team. He graduated with a B.A. degree and was a member of the Texas Cowboys, Sigma Chi fraternity and student government. He looked forward every year to buying new burnt orange attire for the Texas-OU game to add to his collection. Darrell met his wife, Ann McNamara Jordan, on a blind date at UT. After college, Darrell and Ann moved to Dallas for Darrell to attend SMU Law School. He worked nights for a sign company, driving the streets of Dallas with a tape recorder and noting signs needing repair. Darrell graduated from SMU with an LLB degree in 1964. Darrell and Ann raised their three children in Dallas. He began his legal career at the Dallas city attorney's office, then worked at the district attorney's office as a prosecutor, before founding the law firms of Jordan, Ramsey & Bradley; Jordan, Ramsey & Hill; and Crutcher, Hull, Ramsey & Jordan. He was a partner at Hughes & Luce LLP for 24 years, and later served as managing partner of the Godwin & Gruber firm and the Dallas office of Dykema Gossett PLLC. Most recently, Darrell was a partner at Diamond McCarthy LLP, which he enjoyed immensely. A "lawyer's lawyer", Darrell left an indelible mark on the profession he loved during an exemplary 55-year career; one from which, as he always intended, he never retired. He was board certified in civil trial law and a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates. Affectionately dubbed "Uncle Darrell", he mentored and inspired generations of lawyers in Dallas and statewide, including his own son, daughter and son-in-law. He championed and promoted women and minority attorneys and helped create the Sarah T. Hughes Diversity Scholarship, awarded to outstanding minority students at the SMU Dedman School of Law. He repeatedly gave back to his profession and encouraged others to serve. He served as president of the Dallas Bar Association, president of the State Bar of Texas, on the board of governors of the American Bar Association and in too many other roles to count. He led a team that donated thousands of hours of time in representing the Texas Supreme Court and the Texas Equal Access to Justice Foundation in a lawsuit challenging a state program that used interest earned on legal trust accounts to help pay for legal services to the poor. Darrell was thrilled to argue the case in the U.S. Supreme Court in 1998, which he considered the highlight of his career. More importantly to him, his arguments ultimately succeeded, preserving a critical source of funding for legal services to low-income Texans. Darrell received numerous honors for his professionalism and public service, including the Dallas Bar's Justinian Award, the SMU Dedman School of Law Distinguished Alumni Award, the Texas Bar's Outstanding 50 Year Lawyer Award, the Lions of the Texas Bar Award, the Star of Justice Award, the Texas Appleseed Foundation Good Apple Award and many others. Darrell loved Dallas so much that he ran for mayor twice. Though unsuccessful, he never lost his enthusiasm for serving the community and his civic involvement was widespread. He led an effort to preserve and dome the Cotton Bowl, chaired the Dallas Summer Musicals board, the SMU Athletic Forum and the Greater Dallas Planning Council, as well as serving on many other boards. He was a longtime member of the Salesmanship Club of Dallas and a trustee of the Southwestern Medical Foundation and the Methodist Healthcare System Foundation. Darrell and Ann were married for 52 years, until her death in 2014. In 2016, Darrell married Jane Goff McIntire, a marriage which provided great happiness for Darrell until his death. Darrell was preceded in death by his parents, Al & Dorothy Jordan, and his wife, Ann. He is survived by his wife, Janey McIntire Jordan, and his children, Stacy Jordan Rodriguez and husband Rudy Rodriguez, Jr.; Patrick Jordan and wife Pam Caspari Jordan; and Kendall Jordan Pillsbury and husband Rock Pillsbury. He is also survived by his beloved grandchildren, to whom he was always just Bopa: Grace & Jimmy Rodriguez; Mac & Claire Jordan; and Jordan, Luke, Jake, and Samantha Pillsbury. Darrell also is survived by his four siblings, Steve Jordan (Peggy) of Horseshoe Bay, Texas; Greg Jordan (Jane) of The Woodlands, Texas; Judy Jordan Greene of Spring, Texas; and Martha Jordan Horton (Tommy) of Tomball, Texas, as well as a host of nieces, nephews, and cousins. He is also survived by Janey's children, Holly McIntire Carroll and Stephen McIntire. Darrell had a multitude of friends from all backgrounds and all periods of his life, and he was beloved by all of them. His friends and family will miss his witty stories spoken with his unforgettable booming voice, his decency and generosity of spirit, his advice, his company, and his huge heart and love for them. His family wishes to thank his physician, Dr. William Howard, as well as the outstanding and compassionate doctors, nurses and staff at UT Southwestern Clements Hospital, all of whom cared for Darrell. A memorial service celebrating Darrell's life will be held on Tuesday, February 19, 2019, at 2:00 p.m. at Church of the Incarnation, 3966 McKinney Avenue. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Church of the Incarnation (incarnation.org), the Salesmanship Club of Dallas (scdallas.org), the Dallas Bar Association Volunteer Attorney Program (dvapcampaign.org), or a charity of your choice.