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Judge, six Valley lawyers memorialized
YOUNGSTOWN
A judge and six lawyers were remembered in a moving ceremony at the annual lawyers’ memorial service.
“Their love of the law, their commitment, their knowledge, their expertise, their professionalism and integrity make us proud to be lawyers,” said Judge John M. Durkin of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court. “They have demonstrated that being a lawyer or being a judge is one of the finest professions that one can pursue.”
Those memorialized Thursday in the Mahoning County Courthouse included Judge James C. Evans, who died last Aug. 13 at age 72, less than a year after his retirement.
Judge Evans was a county common pleas court judge for 16 years, previously having been an Ohio State Highway Patrol officer, a Jackson Township trustee, a county court judge and a lawyer in private practice.
Five local lawyers who died in 2015 also were honored in the standing-room-only Mahoning County Bar Association ceremony in the domestic relations courtroom:
William E. Pfau III, 64, a partner in his family’s law firm, who practiced personal-injury, insurance, medical-malpractice and product-liability law and who died May 11.
George C. Economus, 78, who practiced personal-injury, domestic-relations, business and probate law and died June 5.
Robert E. Casey, 75, assistant county prosecutor, common pleas court magistrate and county child-support enforcement director, who died June 26.
Kevin D. Mager, 58, a lawyer in private practice, who also served as Craig Beach Village law director and who died Oct. 16.
Donald J. Libert, 87, partner in Manchester, Bennett, Powers & Ullman; and vice president, general counsel and secretary at Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co., who died Dec. 24.
Also remembered was Atty. Albert J. Ortenzio, 89, a well-known probate lawyer and recipient of the bar association’s 2014 professionalism award, who died April 17, 2016.
During the ceremony, Anne Melnick Phipps of Beaver Falls, Pa., played the harp and sang “America the Beautiful,” “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and “I’d Rather Have Jesus.” Phipps is a daughter of the late Atty. Arseny Melnick, who was instrumental in founding the annual lawyers’ memorial service and who died in February 2001, and a sister of the late Atty. Robert Melnick.
Atty. Robert Melnick, 58, of Salem, died in a motor vehicle accident in October 2014 on the Ohio Turnpike.
“For me, it’s like coming home and just being able to honor my dad and Bob and what they loved about Youngstown and loved about the law,” Phipps said.
Phipps’ brother, Arseny James Melnick of Fredericksburg, Va., played the violin during “America the Beautiful” and “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” He also announced the establishment of a $1,000 law school scholarship in memory of his father and brother to be administered by the bar association.
Bugler Garey Watson of Cortland played taps.