Magistrate Virginia Ware was an advocate for children
Virginia Ware always had a stock answer when asked why she became a lawyer. “Her flip answer is she went to law school to get out of taking a Girl Scout troop winter camping,” said her husband, Bob Ware. Virginia told her husband a different version. “She just told me she decided she wanted to go to law school,” he said. She went on to become an advocate for children in her courtroom as family court magistrate in Arapahoe County. “Her mantra was: ‘Fragile. Handle with care,’ ” said longtime friend Peggy Rudden, director of CASA Advocates for Children. “She cared about everybody.” Virginia Ware died Oct. 12 at Covenant Village of Colorado in Westminster after a long illness. She was 73. She was born July 24, 1935, in Luling, Texas, to John and Marie Palmer Greene. She grew up in Corpus Christi and graduated from the University of Texas with a degree in English. She earned a master’s in English from the University of Toledo, where she also went to law school. She settled in Colorado in 1976. Before she started college, she reconnected with Bob Ware. “My parents and her parents double-dated before they were married,” Ware said. “I was kind of born into it. Basically, I’ve known her all my life.” Before college started, Virginia, her parents and boyfriend visited Ware’s family in Houston. Ware also was going to UT. “I kind of got interested in her,” he said. “We started connecting.” They had a date shortly after school started. “On our first date, we were sitting across the table having coffee or whatever,” he said. “I told her she’d be cute if she didn’t talk so much. Some time after that, she claimed she married me to get even.” They were married June 8, 1954, in Corpus Christi. Magistrate Ware was a wiseacre when it came to her personal life. “After my mother died, my father married her favorite aunt,” Bob Ware said. “She’d tell people this made us first cousins. She’d tell people it was OK because we’d already had our children by then.” But Virginia Ware was strictly business when it came to protecting rights of children who appeared in her courtroom. She helped found Arapahoe Advocates for Children. She was practicing law in Littleton until she was appointed to the bench in 1988. She received numerous honors on behalf of her advocacy for children, including Friend of Children Award in 1993 from Arapahoe Advocates for Children. “She was born with a passion to love,” Rudden said. “She never had a moment where she didn’t listen to someone’s opinion. She would always give hers – in a soft tone. She stood up to the plate and did what she needed to do.” Rudden visited Magistrate Ware two weeks before her death and asked a favor. Rudden’s granddaughter, Gabby, died four years ago. Magistrate Ware told Rudden, simply, “I want to go home.” Rudden asked of her: “When you get home, give my granddaughter a big hug.” And Virginia Ware replied, “I will have Gabby sitting on my lap when you get there.” In addition to her husband, survivors include two daughters, Joan, of Thornton, and Janette Stalemo, of Aurora; a son, Jim, of Pompano Beach, Fla.; two brothers, Dan Greene, of Dallas, and Alan Teel, of Round Rock, Texas. Donations: Arapahoe Advocates for Children, 10855 E. Bethany Drive., Suite. 200, Aurora, CO 80014.
Source: Rocky Mountain News (CO) – Saturday, October 18, 2008
Retired 18th Judicial
District Magistrate
Virginia Lee Greene
Ware, 73, died Sunday, Oct. 12th at Covenant Village of Colorado in Westminster after a lengthy illness.
Ware, formerly of Littleton and Centennial, served 11 years as a Family Court magistrate, where she worked tirelessly to protect the rights of children whose families appeared in her court. She was a founding member of Arapahoe Advocates for Children, whose volunteer Court Appointed Special Advocates stand up for children in court to help ensure their best interests are served.
“Virginia made the sadness of the world seem less severe and the joys seem more joyous,” said Peggy Rudden, executive director of the advocacy program. “Her legacy will always be that she treated everyone with respect. ‘Fragile, handle with care’ is how our kids and our families saw her commitment.”
Ware was born July 24, 1935, in Luling, Texas, the daughter of John and Marie Palmer Greene. She spent her early life in Corpus Christi on the South Texas coast before attending The University of Texas at Austin, where she earned a Bachelors degree in English.
She earned a Masters degree in English from the University of Toledo in Ohio, followed by a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Toledo College of Law. She also taught at the law school before moving with her family to Colorado in 1976.
Ware practiced law in Littleton until she was appointed to the bench in 1988. She received the first annual Friend of Children award from the Arapahoe Advocates for Children in 1993. The Colorado Family Support Council in 1998 honored Ware for her leadership and vision to child support enforcement.
Ware is survived by her husband of 54 years, Robert K. Ware, and two brothers, Dan Greene of Dallas and Alan Teel of Round Rock, Texas; also, two daughters, Joan Ware of Thornton, and Janette Stalemo of Aurora; a son, Jim Ware of Pompano Beach, Fla.; two sons-in-law, Sokha Sein and Paul Stalemo, and several grandchildren.
A memorial celebration of Virginia Ware’s life will be held Friday, Oct. 17, at 10 a.m. at the Covenant Village Fellowship Hall, 9151 Yarrow St, Westminster. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Arapahoe Advocates for Children, 10855 E. Bethany Dr., Ste. 200, Aurora, CO 80014.
District Magistrate
Virginia Lee Greene
Ware, 73, died Sunday, Oct. 12th at Covenant Village of Colorado in Westminster after a lengthy illness.
Ware, formerly of Littleton and Centennial, served 11 years as a Family Court magistrate, where she worked tirelessly to protect the rights of children whose families appeared in her court. She was a founding member of Arapahoe Advocates for Children, whose volunteer Court Appointed Special Advocates stand up for children in court to help ensure their best interests are served.
“Virginia made the sadness of the world seem less severe and the joys seem more joyous,” said Peggy Rudden, executive director of the advocacy program. “Her legacy will always be that she treated everyone with respect. ‘Fragile, handle with care’ is how our kids and our families saw her commitment.”
Ware was born July 24, 1935, in Luling, Texas, the daughter of John and Marie Palmer Greene. She spent her early life in Corpus Christi on the South Texas coast before attending The University of Texas at Austin, where she earned a Bachelors degree in English.
She earned a Masters degree in English from the University of Toledo in Ohio, followed by a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Toledo College of Law. She also taught at the law school before moving with her family to Colorado in 1976.
Ware practiced law in Littleton until she was appointed to the bench in 1988. She received the first annual Friend of Children award from the Arapahoe Advocates for Children in 1993. The Colorado Family Support Council in 1998 honored Ware for her leadership and vision to child support enforcement.
Ware is survived by her husband of 54 years, Robert K. Ware, and two brothers, Dan Greene of Dallas and Alan Teel of Round Rock, Texas; also, two daughters, Joan Ware of Thornton, and Janette Stalemo of Aurora; a son, Jim Ware of Pompano Beach, Fla.; two sons-in-law, Sokha Sein and Paul Stalemo, and several grandchildren.
A memorial celebration of Virginia Ware’s life will be held Friday, Oct. 17, at 10 a.m. at the Covenant Village Fellowship Hall, 9151 Yarrow St, Westminster. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Arapahoe Advocates for Children, 10855 E. Bethany Dr., Ste. 200, Aurora, CO 80014.
Source: Denver Post from Oct. 15 to Oct. 16, 2008
