Marlene Laughlin Swope

Marlene ( Laughlin) Swope was born on March 10, 1936, to parents Grady Lee and Helen Spitzer Laughlin, in the tiny northwest Texas town of Sagerton, in a small home with no running water. She and her 2 siblings grew up working their parents' modest cotton farm where they spent their days plowing acres by hand and eventually dragging cotton sacks as they picked the bolls during harvest. At the age of 12 she spotted the new boy in school and his name was Dick Swope. After one wink from him it was true love from then on. In 1953 the 17-year-old Marlene and the 21-year-old Dick were married at midnight on May 30 by a local Justice of the Peace in Fayetteville, North Carolina right before Dick shipped out with the United States Army Airborne Division for Germany. Marlene returned to her family home to finish her senior year in high school where she graduated valedictorian of her class. Marlene then joined her husband in Germany where they remained for another 18 months. Both have described this time as the happiest days of their lives; traveling through Europe during Dick's time off and becoming quite the ice-skating aficionados.

After the Swopes left Germany, they briefly settled in Ft Worth where they both found employment at an airplane factory while Dick also pursued his lifelong dream of becoming a pilot. In 1957 Dick answered a want ad for a crop duster pilot job in a town they'd never heard of: Anahuac. Marlene eventually found work as the secretary to the County Attorney of Chambers County where she learned about the court reporting profession. Marlene took a few night classes then opted to finish her court reporter studies by teaching herself with books, LP records and lots of practice in their single wide mobile home. In 1962 they built their first home, and in 1963 they welcomed their son, Brett. Cheryl came along in 1966. During this time Marlene became a certified court reporter where she worked for 8 years for Liberty and Chambers Counties District Courts. Eventually, Marlene was drawn to Houston to pursue her profession in the Harris County criminal district courts. She was hired on her very first interview by the 179th District Judge Sam Davis because "she was Methodist ." She remained in the 179th District Court for the remainder of her career, working for Judge I.D. McMaster and then Judge Mike Wilkinson. Marlene retired in 1995 after her first grand child, Allison, was born. During the entire time of her employ in Harris County she undertook extra work from other courts and court reporters to supplement the family income as well as that of her parents. She was not afraid of hard work as it was not unusual for her to work up to 15 hrs a day and continually on the weekends as well. Once retired she did a lot of babysitting, spoiled family and friends with her amazing culinary skills, fought and survived breast cancer , gardened and read profusely. No romance novels for this tough farm girl , the grittier the crime drama, the better, as she never lost that love of the courtroom or the criminal justice system. She loved her books! She loved her family, loved her home and gardens, singing Methodist hymns with her grandchildren in church, a good strong, hot cup of coffee, and a frozen margarita. She loved Dick Swope and missed him every single day after his death in 2020. Up until shortly before her death, she was still killing snakes that dared to trespass on her patio and even on occasion, inside her home. The Houston Astros are down one less fan, as are the Dallas Cowboys and Novak Djokovic. She died peacefully in her cherished home on September 7, 2025, at the age of 89.

She is survived by her Sister LaMoine, her brother Melvin Lee, her son Brett and his wife Kim, her daughter Cheryl Lieck Henry and husband Tommy, grandchildren Demian Lieck and wife Anna, Allison Lieck, Cameron Lieck McCrary and husband Lucas, Katrina Swope, Cale Swope and wife Savannah, Anne-Marie Henry, James Thomas Henry, and great grandchildren Ronin Lieck, Emersyn Swope and Augustus McCrary, as well as many nieces and nephews. The family would like to extend their gratitude to Bobby Hall, Gene Langford Dr. John Redman, Anahuac EMS, Bayside Community Hospital, and special friend and angel on earth, Shirley Houser. The family will have a private service at a date to be determined. In lieu of flowers one can make a donation to the Chambers County Library System or the Anahuac Methodist Church in Marlene's honor.