The Worleys
Lee, Carmen, and Ernest
Building a Family
My husband Lee and I were high school sweethearts. We started dating in 1970, when he was a senior and I was a junior. We joined hands in 1974, and this year will celebrate 34 years of marriage. Early on, life took us to Germany, where he was stationed in the U.S. Army. Upon completion of his commitment, we returned to Kingsville, Texas to continue our education. I soon completed my bachelor’s degree before moving to Lubbock to work on a Master’s in Sociology while my husband worked on his schooling via the GI Bill. I considered pursuing a Ph.D. in Sociology but instead chose to go to law school at the University of Texas at Austin.
Sarah Worley
April 6,1980 - April 2, 1998
Close to the end of my second year of law school, we had our first child, Sarah Elisabeth Worley, born Easter Sunday. Proud, happy new parents, we decided that I would leave law school for one year to give her my undivided attention.
Upon graduation from law school, our growing family moved back to Del Rio where I worked for a local law firm before venturing out on my own. I had a small practice, gave birth to a second child, Ernest Lee Worley, IV and soon was recruited to join the Val Verde County Attorney’s Office. When my boss left office, I was appointed County Attorney, then successfully ran for the office. In September of 1992, I accepted a new position in the Denton County Criminal District Attorney’s Office and began a new life in North Texas.
Lee Worley now works in the North Texas area as an officer for the Department of Homeland Security. This fall, Ernest will be enrolled in the LBJ School of Public Policy at the University of Texas at Austin.
Tragedy hit our family in 1998. On a trip to visit Tulane University, Sarah and I were traveling in a small airplane which crashed into Lake Pontchartrain. Sarah died in that crash.
2001 news article in the Dallas Observer - "Survivor"
My many life experiences have helped to shape who I am and the approach I take with each case in my court. These experiences as a Hispanic woman, wife, mother, lawyer and survivor have helped me to understand the myriad of human emotions that are a part of every case.
