Justice Lawrence Larkins Koontz, Jr., a retired justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, passed away on Sunday, March 16. He was 85 years old.
Koontz spent much of his life in the Roanoke Valley, graduating from Jefferson High School in the Star City. He would go on to attend Virginia Tech and graduate with a Bachelor of Science in 1962. Three years later, he earned his Law Degree from T.C. Williams School of Law of the University of Richmond.
Recommended Videos
He had a wealth of experience in the Virginia judicial system, having served at every level of court. In 1968, he moved up to the bench after serving as an assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney in Roanoke and a brief period of private practice, when he was appointed to the Juvenile Court of the City of Roanoke. This court is now referred to as the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court for the 23rd District of Virginia following the reform of the Virginia Court System.
In 1976, the General Assembly elected him to the 23rd Circuit Court of Virginia, serving Roanoke, Salem and Roanoke County. Before his time on the Supreme Court, Koontz served as an original member of the Virginia Court of Appeals, stepping into the role of a second chief judge for two four-year terms after the passing of chief judge E. Ballard Baker. He is lauded for establishing many of the administrative policies of the Court of Appeals, in addition to creating its Clerk’s Office and Chief Staff Attorney’s Office, during the first years of the Court.
Roughly 20 years later, in 1995, he was elected to succeed Justice Henry H. Whiting on the Virginia Supreme Court and went on to serve as an active member of the court until Feb. 1, 2011, when he reached mandatory retirement age. He continued to serve as a senior justice of the court until Dec. 31, 2024.
His judicial career spanned nearly six decades, including his service in senior status with the Supreme Court. He is acclaimed for having one of the longest judicial careers of a Virginia Jurist, second only to that of his friend and mentor, Chief Justice Harry Lee Carrico.
Justice Koontz is survived by his wife, Eberle Smith, his children John, Beth and Ann, and many grandchildren.
