[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 45 (Wednesday, March 13, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E248]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING THE LIFE OF JUDGE ONZLEE WARE

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. H. MORGAN GRIFFITH

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 13, 2024

  Mr. GRIFFITH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Judge 
Onzlee Ware, who passed away on February 10, 2024, at the age of 70.
  He was born in North Carolina on January 4, 1954, to the late Onzlee 
McCrimmon and Edna Taylor.
  While attending North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State 
University, Onzlee was charged with possession of heroin and marijuana, 
but later had those charges dropped when he agreed to become a police 
informant. A year later, it was revealed in court that he was an 
informant. Because of that revelation, he was subsequently shot and 
critically wounded, eventually losing his left leg. This harrowing 
experience would shape the rest of his life and reinforce his belief in 
second chances.
  He would later come to Roanoke to work with Boy Scouts of America, 
which is where we met. He eventually became a lawyer, and we became 
friends. Our friendship was first cemented while spending hours 
photocopying form files in my office.
  We then served in the Virginia House of Delegates together, where I 
knew him as someone who would often reach across party lines to get 
things accomplished for his fellow Virginians.
  In 2013, Onzlee helped then-Republican Governor Bob McDonnell pass 
his transportation plan.
  After leaving the House of Delegates, Onzlee was appointed as a 
judge, serving in juvenile and domestic relations court. It was there 
that he used what he learned earlier in life to reach out to juveniles, 
telling them they could turn their lives around and be successful, just 
as he had become.
  He later rose in the ranks to become a circuit court judge.
  Onzlee Ware was a trailblazer. He served as the first Black 
legislator from the western part of Virginia and later the first Black 
judge in Roanoke Circuit Court. He made an impact on so many throughout 
his life, his legacy will live on for years to come. He was my friend. 
I will miss him.

                          ____________________