Edward Morgan Carstarphen III

1957 - 2024

Edward Morgan Carstarphen, III
10/25/1957 - 10/16/2024
Edward Morgan Carstarphen, III, 66, passed away on October 16, 2024, in Houston, Texas. Ed was born on October 25, 1957, in Ancon, Panama Canal Zone, where his parents worked for the U.S. government. He took pride in his Scottish ancestry, tracing it back to the first American Carstarphen, who settled in North Carolina in 1746 after escaping the Battle of Culloden.
Ed attended Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. After graduating cum laude from Vanderbilt in 1979, he entered the University of Texas Law School. At UT, he received a UT Foundation Merit Scholarship and was a member of the American Journal of Criminal Law and Phi Delta Phi, a legal honorary society. Upon graduation in 1982, Ed began a 40-year career as a civil trial lawyer in Houston, during which he represented Fortune 500 corporations in product liability and toxic tort litigation. He was certified by The Texas Board of Legal Specialization as an expert in Civil Trial Law, a certification he maintained throughout his career. He was a Life Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation, a Fellow of Litigation Counsel of America, and served as a Law Clerk to Chief Justice William Cornelius of the Court of Appeals, Sixth District of Texas. Ed worked for and partnered with several Houston law firms before co-founding ECDG Law, where he relished the opportunity to chart his own course. Ed contributed articles to bar journals, law reviews, and textbooks on a variety of topics related to product liability law. He was recognized by his peers annually from 2007 through 2016 as a Texas Super Lawyer.
Ed's other interests were myriad. He was an avid football fan and deeply loyal to his alma mater throughout Vanderbilt's many losing seasons. He was fluent in Spanish, played the piano and guitar, usually read three or four books at a time, and occasionally dabbled in art. He loved having a scotch and a cigar with a good book in hand, listening to the surf from his deck in Port Aransas. He also enjoyed an occasional round of golf at Austin Golf Club where he was a charter member.
Ed cared deeply for his family. He was a devoted husband and father who found meaning and joy in supporting and spending time with his wife Darleen and two daughters, Desi and Lucy. His love was steady and strong, a constant presence that will be deeply missed.
Ed was preceded in death by his parents, Edward Morgan Carstarphen, II, and Norlavine Carstarphen. He is survived by his wife, Darleen Colton Carstarphen. Ed also leaves behind two daughters, Lucy Catherine Carstarphen (Michael McCart) and Desirae Dixon Dijkema (Jeroen), and three grandchildren; Catherine Grace McCart, Charles Edward McCart, and David Hendrik Dijkema.
A funeral service will be held on November 13, 2024, at 11 AM at Christ Church Cathedral, 1117 Texas Ave., Houston. The service will be followed by a reception in Sanders Hall, where we can gather to share stories and celebrate the wonderful man Ed was. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the charity of your choice, Amazing Place Houston, The Beacon Homeless Services, Christ Church Cathedral, or The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration.