Services for Green welcome community
Celebration of life, jazz visitation set for beloved councilman
Houston City Councilman Larry Green's visitation and funeral services will be open to his former District K constituents and to any other resident wishing to pay respects to the late councilman.
Green, 52, was found dead at his home Tuesday morning.
Remembrance services will begin Sunday with a jazz visitation reception at Sugar Land Mortuary, 1818 Eldridge, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
A celebration of life will follow Monday at Brentwood Baptist Church, 13033 Landmark St.
Services will begin with a viewing from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m., followed by an Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity service from 10 a.m. to 10:45 a.m., and a Homegoing Service at 11:30 a.m.
The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences completed an examination of Green earlier this week, but staff said an official cause of death is not expected to be announced for a few weeks. Police indicated earlier this week that foul play is not suspected.
Green’s body was discovered in his bed by police about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday after his staff asked the Houston Police Department to check on him. Staffers asked police for the welfare check after the usually meticulous councilman had missed appointments and failed to return calls.
Much of this week’s City Council meeting was dedicated to Green’s memory. Council members, their employees and other city staffers wore green in his honor, and a bountiful bouquet — including 16 red roses and one white rose — sat in front of Green’s chair. Several council members and others were visibly moved throughout the meeting.
Green remains the only person elected to lead District K, one of two seats added after the 2010 Census led the council to grow from nine to 11 districts, plus five at-large seats.
The council called a May 5 special election to select Green’s replacement; candidates will have until March 26 to file for the office. District K stretches from the NRG Park area to Fort Bend Houston and Westbury. Green, a Thurgood Marshall School of Law graduate, was a practicing attorney for two decades, served as district director for U.S. Rep Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston, and ran the job training nonprofit HoustonWorks USA for four years, leaving that post a few months after joining the council in January 2012. As a councilman, he chaired the transportation, technology and infrastructure committee and also held leadership posts with the National League of Cities.
He is survived by a brother, two nieces and a nephew, all of Houston, and numerous family members in Texas and Louisiana.