Honoring Warford & Overstreet
1924–2017
“Charles E. Warford built more than a business—he built a legacy of community, faith, and devotion, carried forward in every family we serve.”
In Loving Memory — Charles E. Warford
A venerable pillar of Amarillo, Charles “Charlie” Warford came to the Texas Panhandle at age 12 and, after serving in the U.S. Navy and graduating from Landig College of Mortuary Science in 1946, he returned home to build a life of service
A Life of Service
- Founder of Warford Mortuary (1962) — Amarillo’s longest-running African‑American business, known for “dependable dignified service.”
- Community Leader — Served as deacon, trustee, Sunday school teacher at Mount Zion Baptist, and co‑founded Amarillo’s United Citizens Forum
- Honored Legacy — In 2018, Amarillo renamed the North YMCA the Charles E. Warford Activity Center in tribute to his decades of uplifting the community
In Loving Memory — Judge Morris L. Overstreet
Born in North Heights, Amarillo, Morris pursued excellence from high school on, earning track scholarships, then shifting from medicine to sociology to change the world with law
Trailblazing Achievements
- Amarillo DA to Presiding Judge (1986) — Instrumental in opening the door wider for Black leadership in Potter County
- First Black Texas Official Elected Statewide (1990) — Served two terms on the Court of Criminal Appeals, authoring 500+ opinions
- Mentor and Educator — Taught at Texas Southern’s Thurgood Marshall School of Law and expanded diversity in legal staffing
“He was like a giant in Texas law…”
— Claudia Stravato
“He gave us a lot of confidence.”
— Elisha Demerson
1950–2024
“It’s better for them to know me and not need me than to need me and not know me.” — Judge Overstreet
