Honorable Frank H. Thaxton, III

A memorial service to celebrate the life of the Honorable Frank H. Thaxton, III will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, July 10, 2026, at Broadmoor United Methodist Church. Frank passed from this life on June 26, 2026, peacefully at his home overlooking Cross Lake, surrounded by the love of his family. He is survived by his spouse, Eric Hess, and his children Thomas Thaxton, Kate Thaxton Gray (Richie), Luke Thaxton (Amanda), and Frank Thaxton, IV (Jordan), as well as grandchildren Erin Gray (Andrés), Connor Gray, Bella Gray, Kathryn Thaxton, Cade Thaxton, Alex Thaxton, Frank Thaxton, V, Allie Gray, Tegan Thaxton, and Cannon Thaxton and great-granddaughter Kehlani Webb.

Frank was born in Shreveport on December 27, 1952, the only child and faithful son of Frank H. Thaxton, Jr. and Johanna (Ann) Thaxton. He attended public schools in Shreveport and received his BBA in Business and Economics from Northeast Louisiana University in 1974, before going on to earn his law degree from L.S.U. in Baton Rouge in the illustrious class of 1977.

Frank returned to Shreveport to begin his distinguished legal career with the firm of Bodenheimer, Jones, Klotz & Simmons, becoming a partner in 1980 and serving until his election in 1990 as District Judge of the First Judicial District Court in Caddo Parish, Louisiana. During his 12 years on the bench, while serving as Deputy Chief Judge, he presided over many of the most impactful cases of the day. Under his leadership, the Court reformed local rules that had become impediments to civil jury trials and thereby opened the doors to the courthouse for far more litigants. Frank continued to serve the people of Louisiana for the remainder of his life, being frequently appointed by the Louisiana Supreme Court as Judge Ad Hoc and Judge Pro Tem on the Louisiana Supreme Court itself, as well as the Circuit Courts of Appeals and multiple District and City Courts.

In addition to his judicial service, Frank served as President of the Louisiana District Judges Association, President of the Shreveport Bar Foundation (of which he was a founding member and major contributor), on the Board of Governors of the Louisiana Judicial College, and was appointed by the Supreme Court to the Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics and the Louisiana Public Defender Oversight Board. He served on judicial and community boards too numerous to list and received the Pro Bono Publico award from North Louisiana Legal Services for outstanding volunteer service. As recently as 2024, when the Supreme Court was concerned about overcrowding at the Caddo Correctional Center, the Court appointed Frank to conduct a feasibility study and make recommendations to the Court.

Upon leaving the bench in 2003, Frank became the mediator of choice in North Louisiana, helping the parties to resolve thousands of civil cases and chairing over 3,000 medical review panels, continuing up until this last month. He also, alongside Eric, founded Sanctuary Arts School, a non-profit reaching over 8,000 individuals annually with free arts programming. Through a family foundation, Sanctuary Arts School was able to purchase the historic Bnai Zion Temple and Frank worked tirelessly on saving and restoring the building for future generations to enjoy.

While his work was very important to him, it does not even begin to capture the focus of his life. Frank’s focus was always caring for and about all of the people in his life, family, friends, and strangers alike. He was never without a smile, a compliment, and a reassuring comment to all who crossed his path. He loved to laugh and was a wonderful storyteller, usually poking fun at himself. When asked what he considered his greatest accomplishment, his response was always “my children and grandchildren.”

Frank was, and his family remains, grateful for the many years of compassionate care provided by Dr. Chip McDonald and nurses Melanie, Crystal, and Mary, Dr. Mike Durci and nurse Karen, the entire team at Willis Knighton Cancer Center, and Dr. Charles Byrd. The family is also appreciative of the exceptional care and kindness Frank received from Dr. Chris Trosclair, the WK-North ICU and WK-North 3 North nursing teams, and St. Joseph Hospice during his last few months.

The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to a charity of the donor’s choosing.