Fred B. Werkenthin

Fred B. Werkenthin, of Austin passed away December 4, 2015. Fred was a lifelong Austin resident. He was born on February 21, 1926. Until he was 11 years of age he lived at 303 is East 15th Street and attended John B. Wynn elementary school. His family then moved to 3500 Greenway where he attended University Junior High and Austin High. He then attended the University of Texas. During his college days, he had a three-year detour to Chicago, Jackson, and San Diego with the U.S. Navy. He was at San Diego preparing to ship-out when Japan surrendered and World War II ended. He returned to the University of Texas and obtained his degree. He then enrolled in law school at the University of Texas and obtained his LL.B. in 1950.

After law school, he became an Assistant Travis County District Attorney. In 1954 he began working for the Liquidation Division of the State Board of Insurance. From 1957 through 1961 he was Assistant Attorney General and Chief of the Insurance, Banking, Corporate and Securities Section.

After leaving the Attorney General's office, he decided to go into private practice. He turned down a lucrative offer from a Chicago law firm (rumor has it because of pressure from his mother, his wife, and his children) and instead went into partnership with Charles F. Herring. Herring and Werkenthin eventually merged with Small, Small and Craig to become Small, Herring, Craig, Werkenthin, and Shannon. He was managing partner and also a skilled litigator. He handled matters for Farmers Insurance, Metropolitan Insurance, and the Lower Colorado River Authority. He was the lead attorney for the prevailing party in the seminal water rights case referred to as the Stacy Dam Case. His firm eventually grew to be one of the larger firms in Austin. The firm later became the Austin office for the Dallas law firm Jackson Walker.

During his career, he held several positions of service to the legal community and received many accolades. He was Director of the State Bar of Texas from 1974 to 1976. He was President of the Travis County Bar Association in 1972 a Sustaining Life Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation as well as Trustee from 1974 to 1979 and Chairman in 1976. He was also Chairman of the Fellows of the Texas Bar Foundation from 1979 to 1980. He was a member of the American Judicial Society and the American Bar Association and Life Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. In 2007, he received the "Distinguished Lawyer Award" from the Austin Bar Foundation.

In 2002, Fred took a hiatus from his law practice to care for MM when she contracted her life-ending health problems. He learned to do all of the household chores including cooking, washing dishes, and washing clothes.

In 1960, Fred and his family began an annual migration to Port Aransas, Texas on the last week of July. He and his wife, Mary Margaret ("MM") would pack everything but the kitchen sink and Fred's razor and spend two weeks at Port Aransas, fishing, partying on the beach, going to Shorty's, and their favorite restaurants in Port Aransas. Adult beverages were rumored to have been involved. Until about 1985, fishing operations were conducted by family and friends. Although these trips were occasionally successful, many times the family had to depend on Sand Trout or sharks for fish fries.

Fred's success rate improved drastically with three days of fishing with a guide in 1985. This made Fred and MM big believers in professional help. From then on, they would book two or three guided trips during their annual Port Aransas visit. Success with guides such as Danny Adams and his sons proved to be drastically more successful than unguided trips.

In 1970 Fred and MM decided one trip a year to Port Aransas was just not enough and begin making a second trip per year during Thanksgiving. These trips persisted until this year when Fred's health declined.

During most of his adult life, Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings would find Fred on the tennis court at Caswell playing tennis primarily with Barrett Garrison, Ronny Tines, Will Swenson, Jimmy Meyers, and others. Later, MM caught his addiction and he added mixed doubles at Tarry House and Westwood to his schedule. In his later years he played Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings at Westwood with his friends. He also enjoyed taking private lessons from the pros at Austin Country Club to aid him in besting his friends at Westwood.

He is survived by his daughter Linda S. Hawkins, her husband Ron and son Zac Caldwell; son, Fred B. Werkenthin Jr., his wife Debbie and their children Melissa Mayo, her husband, Ross and their children James and Jackson, Logan Brown, Natalie Brown, Fred B Werkenthin III, and Margaret Werkenthin; his daughter Becky Nugent and her children Leslie Bowen her husband Jon and their son Cooper, Marc Nugent, and his wife Amanda; his son Gregg H. Werkenthin, his wife Shannon, and their children Sam and Grace. He is also survived by his brother Max Werkenthin Jr. and wife Vivian, his stepbrother Terrell Robison and wife Beverly, sister-in-law Beverly Gregg, nieces Carrie Leon, Beth Bland, Marie Long, Lou Clark, Cindy Koplin, and Sally Acevedo, and nephews Max Werkenthin III, Art Werkenthin, Mike Robison, Jim Robison, and Joe Christian, and Hutch Gregg.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Mary Margaret Gregg Werkenthin, his father, Max Werkenthin, his mother, Louise Bohn Werkenthin Robison , his sister Louise Magdalene Werkenthin ("Snookie"), his brother Conrad Werkenthin, his mother-in-law Isabel Gregg, his father-in-law Dr. Banner Gregg, his sister-in-law Clare Coates Werkenthin, his brothers-in-law Francis Banner Gregg and Dr. Frank Gregg and his stepfather Bobby Robison.

The family wishes to thank Hospice Austin and care givers Penne Guerin and Mary Malone. In lieu of flowers, please consider contributing to Hospice Austin or the charity of your choice.

Services will be 11 AM, Saturday, December 12, 2015 at St. David's Episcopal Church 301 E. 8th Street, Austin Texas.