April 6, 1923 – January 13, 2013 In Loving Memory.
Mobile, AL

William Robert ‘Bill’ Lauten, a native of Mobile, born April 6, 1923, died on Jan. 13, 2013, after a brief illness.

He was the son of Ray Carl and Ruth Kolb Lauten. He was preceded in death by his wife of 60 years, Meri Turrentine Lauten and their oldest child, Stephen Glen Lauten, M.D. He is survived by his two daughters, Leslie Lauten (John) Johnson of Mobile and Mimi Lauten (Frank) Fowlkes of Daphne; brother, Ray Carl ‘Buddy’ (Frances) Lauten of Mobile; daughter-in-law, Nancy Rast Lauten of Mobile; grandchildren, Brian Patrick (Amy) Lauten of Dallas,Texas, Wright Benjamin Lauten, M.D. (Anna) of Mobile, Lauten Sanders Johnson, D.M.D. (Betts) of Birmingham, Austen Hall Johnson (Alice) of Birmingham, Cullen William Johnson, Memphis, Tenn., and Leslie Lauten Fowlkes, Daphne; step-grandchildren, Robert Alexander (Merrill) Arendall, III and Drayton Burke Arendall both of Mobile; great-grandchildren, Charlotte Lauten, Carter Lauten, Callie Johnson, Sanders Johnson, Mary Carmen Johnson, Thomas Johnson, Robert Arendall and Nancy Arendall; and devoted caregiver Cynthia Jenne Morgan. Bill was a graduate of Murphy High School, Springhill College, and The University of Alabama Law School. He also earned three degrees from Faulkner State Community College. He was a member of Phi Theta Kappa National Honor Society, Phi Alpha Delta Legal Fraternity, and Sigma Chi Fraternity. He was an active attorney for over fifty years. He was in private practice in Clarke, Baldwin and Mobile Counties, practicing in Federal Appellate Courts for the Fifth and Eleventh Circuits and in the United States Supreme Courts. He also served as Circuit Solicitor (District Attorney) of Baldwin County, as Chief Assistant City Attorney of Mobile, and as City Attorney of Mobile. Bill was a member of the Baldwin County, Mobile County and Alabama State Bar Associations. During World War II, he served as U.S. Naval Commanding Officer aboard a Subchaser in the Pacific Theatre of Operations. He later served as Commanding Officer of a U.S. Navy Patrol Craft in the Caribbean and as Executive Officer of a U.S Navy Ocean-Going Fleet from Tokyo to Charleston, SC. Bill was a community theatre actor for over forty years and served as President of Mobile Theatre Guild and as Board Member for Joe Jefferson Playhouse in Mobile. He served on the Board for the Mobile Junior Chamber of Commerce (Jaycees). Bill was a charter member of the Point Clear Rotary Club and a Paul Harris Fellow. He was awarded the O’Leary Award from Springhill College and M.O.Beale Scroll of Merit from the Mobile Press-Register for his community service. A man of many passions, he enjoyed spending time with his family, Alabama football, photography, painting, travel, reading, and being with his Saturday Morning Breakfast Club and Y.M.C.A. P.A.C.E Group. The Lauten family extends sincere thanks to Bill’s friends and caretakers at Catherine Place and Allen Memorial Home. A memorial celebration of his life will be held on Friday, Jan. 18, 2013 at 11 a.m. at St. Mary Catholic Church, 1405 Old Shell Road, Mobile. Family visitation will precede the memorial service beginning at 9:30 a.m. in the church. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the The Lauten Family Scholarship at St. Mary’s School, 107 N. Lafayette Street, Mobile, AL 36604; The Visitation Monastery, 2300 Spring Hill Ave, Mobile, AL 36607, or a charity of your choice.

Cremation arrangements are by Hughes Funeral Home & Crematory, 7951 American Way, Daphne,AL.