Obituary

Lionel Egnor
(May 2, 1939 - May 4, 2019)

LIONEL DARCE “L.D.” EGNOR JR., age 80, of Huntington, passed away on Saturday, May 4, 2019 at Paramount Senior Living. Funeral services will be held on Thursday, May 9, 2019 at 2 p.m. at Johnson Memorial United Methodist Church, conducted by Dan Egnor with eulogy and comments by members of the family and friends. Visitation will follow the service. L.D. was born on May 2, 1939 at Huntington, son of the late Lionel Darce Egnor Sr. and Maxie Deitz Egnor. L.D. retired as chief judge for the Sixth Circuit Court of Cabell County in 1997. After serving 18 years as judge, L.D. presided over cases for the West Virginia Supreme Court and joined the law firm of Farrell, Farrell and Farrell, providing mediation services to settle civil suits. He also served as President of the Cabell County Commission and Chairman of the West Virginia Courthouse Facilities Improvement Authority. L.D. was a 1957 graduate of Huntington East High School and 1961 graduate of Marshall University. As vice president of the student body and president of the student senate at Marshall, he was active in the movement to make Marshall a university. He went on to earn a law degree from West Virginia University in 1964 and then served in the Air Force as a judge advocate before returning to his hometown, where he opened a private law practice in 1968. He was elected as Cabell County prosecutor in 1972 and after a five-year stint as prosecutor, served as Assistant Attorney General for the State of West Virginia for a couple of years. He began serving as a circuit court judge in 1980. He was a member of Johnson Memorial United Methodist Church. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Ann Marshall Egnor in 2004. Survivors include his sons, Dr. Clark Egnor and his wife Miho of Huntington, Brad Egnor of New York, NY; two grandchildren, Laina Egnor and Logan Egnor; one great-grandson, Dylan Bieniek; one brother and sister-in-law, Max L. Egnor and Brenda Egnor of Fort Mill, S.C.; and numerous family members and friends. As a judge and as a young prosecutor, L.D. spearheaded many difficult issues. His most prominent efforts involved children and their rights. He presided over or prosecuted thousands of cases and was respected throughout the state by his peers and the public as an eminently fair and judicious jurist. As a lifelong resident of Huntington and Cabell County, he distinguished himself as an activist interested in the betterment of the community. He was a man of great humor, intelligence and integrity, a mentor to many, a devoted husband and a much-loved son, brother, father and grandfather. He will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him.