George Halliburton Ware III

George Halliburton Ware III passed away on October 25, 2024 in Lake Charles, Louisiana. “Hal” was born on February 6, 1970 in Nuremberg, Germany to George Halliburton Ware, Jr. and Sandra Smith Ware.

Hal hailed from a long line of great cooks, a legacy that included a French Chef great-grandfather. It was not surprising that Hal’s own cooking skills began developing even as a child in his mother’s kitchen. By the time Hal reached college, he was cooking part-time in a local restaurant when a headhunter came calling with an offer to cook for Outback Steakhouse. Hal’s career in the restaurant business was well and truly launched. Most recently he had been working with the development of the Tad’s Louisiana Cooking franchise as regional manager of stores throughout Louisiana and Texas. Aside from the memorable dishes he created in the kitchen, Hal’s artistic side shone forth in the handcrafted furniture he made with so much love for family and friends – pieces that will now be cherished down the years. 

Known for his love of sports, Hal, while in high school, earned multiple state championships in both junior varsity and varsity track and field while competing for Silliman Institute in Clinton, Louisiana. Hal passed down this passion for athletics to his own sons and to many of the local boys over the years coaching several Ward 3 flag football teams, as well as ICCS middle school football and basketball teams. Hal was an avid LSU fan. Before the beginning of every football season he had carved out a scenario in which seasoned players and new recruits – and lately portal transfers – would almost for sure add up to a National Championship season. 

An early indicator of Hal’s big loving heart was his childhood infatuation with, and continuing love for, old black and white movies – a very favorite of which was “It’s a Wonderful Life”. How fitting that his own life came to embody the very theme of that movie – that the value of a life is not measured in wealth or public status or fame, but in the loving bonds with family and friends that weave meaning into our time on Earth. There were so many in his circle of family and friends whose love and support graced Hal’s last days with the gift of the knowledge of the positive role he had played in each of their lives. Even in those last days, he was adding to that circle of friends with the angels of love and compassion who staff Harbor Hospice Hospital.

Hal is survived by his children, Chandler, Grayson, and Thomas Ware; his parents Judge George H. Ware, Jr. and Sandra Ware; and Sam, his beloved cat of seventeen years: and by his wider “family” of so many, many cherished friends.

Visitation will be held at Johnson Funeral Home of Lake Charles on Tuesday, October 29, from 5:00 to 8:00 PM with a rosary to be said at 6:00 PM. Funeral service will be at 11:30 AM on Wednesday, October 30, at Our Lady Queen of Heaven Catholic Church. Burial will follow at Consolata Cemetery.

Pallbearers will include his three sons, Chandler, Grayson and Thomas Ware, Grant Anderson, Cody Delcambre, Greg Jackson, Joseph Kelty and David Morgan. Honorary Pallbearers include: Jared Carnahan, Richard “RJ” Johnson, Greg Percle, and Hal’s Louisiana Tech University SAE Fraternity Brothers.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Harbor Hospice Hospital at www.harborfoundation.com