SUBSCRIBE NOW

Enjoy all your local news and sports for less than 6¢ per day.

Subscribe Now

Burnet County’s first court-at-law judge Randy Savage known for heart and humor

Judge Randy Savage

Judge Randolph ‘Randy’ Savage was known for his humor and heart, his love for family, and his dedication to the legal system. He passed away Feb. 7, 2021, at the age of 76. A funeral service is 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27, at First United Methodist Church of Marble Falls. Courtesy photo

Heart and humor are two things friends and family of the late Judge Randy Savage recalled of the man who passed away Feb. 7 at the age of 76.

“Ninety-nine percent of his character was comprised of a huge heart, a commitment to family and lifelong friends, and the joys of civil service,” said his nephew Christian Fletcher. “The other one percent was probably a little inappropriate for some audiences but absolutely hilarious.”

A celebration of life service for Savage is 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27, at First United Methodist Church, 1101 Bluebonnet Drive in Marble Falls. Visitation is 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 26, at Clements-Wilcox Funeral Home, 1805 U.S. 281 North in Marble Falls.

Savage was Burnet County’s first court-at-law judge in 2002 after the Burnet County Commissioners Court created the position.

He was born William Randolph Savage on March 2, 1944, in Omaha, Nebraska and raised in Houston. After graduating from Spring Branch High School in 1962, he attended Southwestern University in Georgetown and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in history and economics. He earned his Doctorate of Jurisprudence at the University of Texas Law School in 1969.

He married Kathryn Pryor Alger Savage in 1967, and they raised four sons: Michael, Greg, Jeffrey, and Robert.

In the early 1970s, the Savages moved to the Texas Hill Country, and Randy Savage established a private practice in Marble Falls that lasted for 30 years. Savage was elected in 2002 and was twice re-elected as judge for the Burnet County court-at-law. 

Throughout his life, Savage was a dedicated and active member of the community. He served as president of the chamber of commerce, vice president and president of the Burnet County Bar Association, and president of the Hill Country Bar Association. He once served on the Marble Falls City Council and was president of the Marble Falls Noon Rotary Club, where he logged 47 years of perfect attendance, mayor of Meadowlakes, and legal counsel for the Meadowlakes POA. 

Retired State District Judge Gil Jones and Savage shared the same birthday, including the year. Jones said in an email that this makes him feel especially strong about losing a contemporary.

“There was always a race to see which of us could get to the other first and and fling the idea that ‘you’re sure getting older,’” Jones said.

“See you later, Judge,” he added.

Robert Klaeger, who was the Burnet County Attorney when Savage was county court-at-law judge, agreed regarding Savage’s sense of humor.

“He had a strange sense of humor, to put it nicely,” Klaeger said. “Totally innocent, but he would tell off-color jokes at inappropriate times at times, at court and stuff. Always got a lot of laughter, some red faces from embarrassment. He’s always been that way his whole life.”

Klaeger said he brought so many jury trial cases before Savage, he was surprised he didn’t give the judge a heart attack from the caseload alone. 

Even amid such a heavy caseload, Savage always came to court well prepared.

“Sometimes, he knew the cases better than us attorneys,” Klaeger said. “He’d review the whole case prior to the hearing. He would know the whole case and always be well prepared — once you got past that sense of humor. He was always on top of the law, always on top of the case. He had a good judicial temperament.”

alex@thepicayune.com