Nashville attorney Lawrence Richard “Larry” Ahern III died March 18 at age 79. He received his law degree from Vanderbilt University Law School in 1972. He went on to practice at several firms, including Miller & Martin, Bass, Berry & Sims, and Burr & Forman. Later in his career, he served as a consultant and expert witness on bankruptcy, commercial and real estate matters before taking retired partner status in 2023 at Brown & Ahern, the firm he cofounded. Ahern was a longtime member of the TBA’s Bankruptcy Section Executive Council and served as an adjunct professor at multiple law schools.

Nashville native and retired General Sessions Judge John P. Brown was remembered for his legacy of service and compassion at services in February. Brown, who died on Feb. 14 at the age of 84, graduated from the University of Tennessee Pharmacy School in 1964 and joined the family business, J.P. Brown Drugstores. He later helped build the business into Nashville’s largest independent pharmacy. Brown earned his law degree from the Nashville YMCA Night Law School (now Nashville School of Law) in 1969 and opened a law office in Green Hills, handling a variety of civil and criminal matters. In 1982, he was elected to the Davidson County General Sessions Court and served there until retiring in 2006. After retiring, he continued to serve as a senior judge and spent a year in the Republic of Georgia training judges on the rule of law.

Evalina Casey Cheadle died March 3 at the age of 69. She graduated from Harpeth Hall School and Vanderbilt University. After spending eight years as a special education teacher with Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, Cheadle attended the Nashville School of Law. She earned her law degree and started her own law firm in 1988. In addition to maintaining a legal career until her death, Cheadle served for many years as a proctor for the Tennessee Bar Examination and was a member of the Tennessee Bar Association and the Nashville Bar Association. Memorial donations may be made to the John Cheadle Mitchell Scholarship Fund at the Nashville School of Law. The fund honors Cheadle’s son, who preceded her in death.

Memphis lawyer Byrd Douglas Earthman died Feb. 19 at the age of 76. Originally from Kingsport, Earthman moved to Nashville as a child when his father, an attorney, took a job with the Gov. Frank Clement administration. After receiving his law degree in 1973 from Memphis State University (now the University of Memphis) Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, Earthman began a 20-year career with the Waring Cox law firm. He later served as a senior vice president at ServiceMaster Diversified Health Services. He returned to private practice at Armstrong Allen and finished his legal career at Glankler Brown. Earthman focused his private practice on municipal bonds and real estate matters. Memorial donations may be made to a charity of the donor’s choice or the Earthman-Lambeth Family Fund with the Monteagle Sunday School Assembly.

Memphis attorney Robert Miles Mason Sr. died Feb. 1 at age 61 after a long battle with cancer. He received his law degree from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law in 1994. A Memphis native, Mason founded Miles Mason Law Group PLC and was a certified public accountant. Mason served on the Tennessee Bar Journal Editorial Board from 2003-2006 and as chair of the TBA’s Family Law Section. He received the Justice Joseph W. Henry Award for Outstanding Legal Writing in 2024 for his article “You Are the Father!: Untangling Custody Rights in Tennessee Between Unmarried Parents,” which appeared in the November/December 2023 issue of the Journal. Mason’s father-in-law, the late Judge Joe B. Jones, was the first recipient of the award in 1981. Donations may be made in Mason’s name to Christian Brothers High School or the Orpheum Theatre Group.

Murfreesboro attorney Dewey Russell Thomas died March 5 at age 73. Thomas was a personal injury litigator and operated his practice, The Thomas Law Firm, for more than 48 years. He also was a member of the Rutherford and Cannon County Bar Association and a former president of Andrew Jackson American Inns of Court. Donations may be made to Alive Hospice of Murfreesboro, 1629 Williams Dr, Murfreesboro, TN 37129 or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 1 Music Cir S Suite 230, Nashville, TN 37203. |||