Judge Karen Crouch

Judge Karen Crouch, 62, beloved mother and wife, loyal friend, and dedicated public servant, passed away on Tuesday, October 4, 2022, at PAM Health Specialty Hospital of San Antonio from injuries sustained in a 2011 head-on crash that killed her sister-in-law instantly.
Nearly 11 years ago, she and her sister-in-law, Zayra Flores, were at a Vermont Law School training conference. As they left a session, an 18- year-old incapacitated driver hit their car head on. Official reports say the teen had three times over the legal limit of alcohol in his system as well as drugs.
Judge Karen Crouch was born July 16, 1960, in Houston, Texas. There, she graduated from Memorial High School in 1978. In 1982, she earned a BBA in Management and Computer Information Systems from Baylor University in Waco, Texas. She earned a Juris Doctorate in 1985 from St. Mary's University School of Law in San Antonio, Texas. She also attended the Women's Campaign School at Yale University Law School.
She opened her law practice in 1986, in San Antonio, Texas. From 1988 to 1994, she also served as counsel to W.E. Crouch, Attorney, in Houston, Texas. She also worked as an instructor at Our Lady of the Lake University.
In 1994, she ran for Judge of Bexar County Court at Law # 8 and served in that capacity until 2010. Later, she was elected Judge of Bexar County Court at Law #10, serving from 2014 to 2018. Judge Karen Crouch never lost a general election in Bexar County. After taking the bench, she presided over more than 600 jury trials, countless hearings, and non-jury matters as well as countless CPS cases. She had a reputation for being tough but fair.
She was a Senior Judge for the State of Texas and was one of the few judges in the state who was able to preside over criminal courts, civil courts, family cases, juvenile court cases, and CPS cases.
Judge Crouch was a member of the Texas Bar Association, San Antonio Bar Association, National Association of Women Judges, Women's Bar Association, and the Mexican American Bar Association. She served as the CLE Chairman of the Texas State Bar Judicial Section, and Curriculum Committee. She also served as the Judicial Legislative Liaison to the Texas Legislature for 12 years.
In 1994, while campaigning, she met the love of her life, Gerald M. Flores, and they were married in San Antonio, Texas on October 2, 1999. She believed strongly in serving her community, a belief she and her husband instilled in their three children, Gerald William, Nicholas, and Lilliana.
In 2017, Judge Crouch told a reporter, "Being a Judge is my profession, but my passion is my family. I am a wife, mother, daughter, and sister who happens to be a full-time Judge."
Karen's greatest love was her three children. She would plan elaborate, annual family vacations for the children to learn, explore and experience the world. Karen also enjoyed organizing and hosting family parties. She once told the San Antonio Woman Magazine about the family gatherings, "I love making family celebrations very special for our family. My parents used to call it 'making memories with the children.'
Judge Karen Crouch was preceded in death by her father, William Ekas Crouch, her sister-in-law Zayra Flores, and her nephew Adrian Michael Flores. She is survived by her husband Gerald M. Flores; her children Gerald William Flores, Nicholas Alexander Flores, and Lillianna Leonor Flores; her mother Marian Coffman Crouch; and her brother William Peyton Crouch. She is also survived by brothers and sisters-in-law Theresa Dougherty, Joe L. Flores and wife Rose Flores, Kathy Flores Guerra and husband Ivan Guerra, and Javier Flores and wife Esther Flores; nephews and nieces David M. Dougherty and wife Sylvia Dougherty, Alexander Mena, Amanda Fernandez, Angelica Flores, Javier Flores II, and Giovanni Guerra; grandnephews Peyton Dougherty and Ethan Dougherty.
Funeral services will be held on Monday, October 10, 2022, at San Pedro Presbyterian Church. Internment services will be held on Tuesday, October 11, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. at Mission Park Funeral Chapel South, 1700 Southeast Military Drive San Antonio, Texas 78214.