Memorials, 1113 ALBJ, 74 The Alabama Lawyer 402 (2013)
| Author | Robert Burrell. |
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\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0Robert "Bob" Burrell, 60, of Decatur, passed away Friday, March 15, 2013. Bob was born May 30, 1352 in Rome, Georgia. He was predeceased by his parents, Leon and Louise Burrell. He received his undergraduate degree at the University of Georgia and his law degree at Cumberland School of Law, Samford University.
\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0Bob Burrell served as Morgan County District Attorney for 24 years from 1987 to 2011, and for eight years prior to that he served as an assistant district attorney under Mike Moebes. Former Decatur Police Chief Ken Collier, who became acquainted with Bob 40 years ago, said, "He prosecuted several of my cases. He always had the best interests of Morgan County, and I never doubted that for a second. He was a class guy." Morgan County Circuit Judge Jennifer Howell, who worked for Bob's office as assistant DA for six years said: "My fondest memory of serving with Bob was him coming into my office in the mornings. He'd always pull aside the blinds and look out the windows, as if he were looking out over the whole county. He cared so much about what went on outside those windows." Morgan County Circuit Judge Steven Haddock recalled Bob as "a tough, hard-nosed prosecutor with a work ethic second to none. He would arrive in the early mornings and stay late."
\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0Bob had almost a Lincolnesque sense of humor which he displayed during a meet-and-greet in a primary election battle in 2010 with Scott Anderson, the current district attorney. "It was late in the evening, and we were both tired from being on the campaign trail, " Anderson recalled. "Bob walked over to me and said, Tilleave if you will.' Even in the face of the campaign, where it is very stressful, he maintained his sense of humor."
\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0After serving as district attorney, Bob was of counsel with Harris, Caddell & Shanks PC. Barney Lovelace, a member of the firm and close friend, said of Bob, "He had a keen sense of being able to size up people and situations better than anybody I have ever known. He was a low-key person, not a typical politician, and he loved the law."
\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0Bob was the founder and past president of the Morgan County Child Advocacy Center. Susan Coggins, who worked as a...
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