December 11, 1930 – April 18, 2025
Harry Thomas Lemmon, Associate Justice on the Supreme Court of Louisiana from 1980-2001, passed away peacefully in his sleep on Good Friday, April 18, at age 94.
Born in Morgan City, Louisiana, to Earl and Gertrude (Blum) Lemmon in 1930, Harry excelled in athletics and academics at Morgan City High School and then at Southwestern Louisiana Institute, where he graduated with a degree in Chemistry and received the Alumni Award for Outstanding Graduate. After serving in the Army and working as a chemist, he entered Loyola Law School. While there, he met Mary Ann Vial, who would become his partner in life and law for 64 years. He graduated at the top of his class while also starting his fast-growing family.
In 1970, he was elected to the Louisiana 4th Circuit Court of Appeal, where he served until he was elected to the Supreme Court of Louisiana in 1980. Throughout his legal career, he taught law school pro bono at Loyola, Tulane, and Louisiana State University. He chaired the Ainsworth Lecture Committee, which brought prestigious national and international dignitaries to speak at Loyola. He served on the Visiting Committee for Loyola Law School, where he ensured that the curriculum met the highest standards of professional education. He co-authored Louisiana Civil Law Treatise on Civil Procedure with Professor Frank L. Maraist.
In addition to his scholarly legal contributions, Harry’s extensive civic involvement included serving on the Board of Directors of Associated Catholic Charities, the American Judicature Society, and the American Inns of Court. He chaired the Board of Governors of the Louisiana Judicial College and the American Bar Association’s Appellate Judges Education Institute, and served on multiple Louisiana Law Institute committees.
Honors and awards include induction into the Morgan City High School Athletic Hall of Fame, Louisiana Bar Foundation’s Distinguished Jurist Award, Loyola Law School St. Ives Award, an honorary degree from LSU, induction into LSU Law Center’s Hall of Fame, honorary membership in LSU’s Order of the Coif, and an honorary Doctor of Laws from Loyola Law School.
While Harry loved the Constitution and the law, his greatest treasures were his children and grandchildren. From coaching their sports teams to teaching them to fish and swim to helping with homework, Papa found joy in the daily experiences of parenthood. In the way he lived his life, he demonstrated unconditional love, faith, and kindness.
In summary, to quote his dear friend Judge Bill Redmann, Harry had “a warm heart, a bright mind, and an open hand.”
Harry is survived by the love of his life, his wife of 64 years, Mary Ann Vial Lemmon, District Judge of the Eastern District of Louisiana. He is also survived by his six children and thirteen grandchildren: Andrew, his wife Joni, and his son Stuart; Mary Lauren and her children Patrick and Mary Elise; Roslyn and her children Mary Ann “Annie,” Noah, and William; Carla, her spouse Shawn, and their children Adam, Nate and Ben; Jake and his children James, Luke, Mark, and Matthew; and Patrick and his spouse Michelle Hynes.
Memorial services will be held at the Holy Name of Jesus Church at Loyola University on Thursday, April 24. Visitation begins at 1pm, with a funeral Mass at 3pm. The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations in his honor be made to Loyola Law School or the Historic New Orleans Collection.
