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Former domestic relations court judge remembered
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: November 26, 2018
The law, golf and family—three passions that family and colleagues say Judge Richard V. Zurz Sr. built his life around.
During his more than 60-year legal career, he made a name for himself on the bench and as a knowledgeable family law and domestic relations attorney while raising a family and earning a reputation as a force to be reckoned with on the golf course.
On Oct. 14, Judge Zurz passed away on his 88th birthday.
“Dad loved being a lawyer,” said his son Richard Zurz Jr., managing partner at Slater & Zurz. “He loved going to work every morning and continued to do so right up until the end of his life.
“His second passion was playing golf and he made sure to incorporate the entire family into the game,” he said. “None of us were anywhere near as good as dad but we enjoyed it. My dad could have been a professional golfer.”
Michael Bowler, a senior partner at Blakemore, Meeker & Bowler Co., said Judge Zurz was one of his favorite people.
Bowler and Judge Zurz worked together at Blakemore, Meeker & Bowler for over 25 years.
“Dick’s loss has left a hole in my life,” said Bowler. “The two of us used to get into the office early each morning and we would spend time talking before starting the workday.
“I admired him very much,” he said. “Dick was extremely loyal to his friends, family and clients.”
Born in Barberton on Oct. 14, 1930 to Agnes (Yankovich) and Vincent Zurz, he grew up in Akron and graduated from Kenmore High School.
Judge Zurz received his bachelor’s degree and his juris doctor from Ohio Northern University.
“My parents met at Ohio Northern University,” said his son Richard. “They were married in the early 1950s.”
Judge Zurz and his wife Georgia had three children. Their son, Richard Jr., was the only one who became an attorney.
“Choosing a legal career was a bit of a family tradition,” said Richard. “My grandfather Vince was a probate court judge in Summit County.
“Growing up I thought becoming a lawyer was just what members of our family did.”
Prior to taking the bench, Judge Zurz was in private practice and served as solicitor for the Village of Norton, Munroe Falls and Franklin Township. He was also an assistant city prosecutor and an assistant law director for the city of Akron.
“My father represented a lot of townships and municipal governments,” said Richard.
He was appointed judge of the Summit County Court of Common Pleas Domestic Relations Division in 1974 and continued to serve until 1991.
Judge Zurz joined Blakemore, Meeker & Bowler as a partner in 1992.
“Dick came to us after he retired as a judge,” said Robert Meeker, senior partner and president of Blakemore, Meeker & Bowler. “He was absolutely brilliant. He knew more about domestic relations law than all the lawyers in the community put together.
“When he was a judge he pretty much ran the whole court,” said Meeker. “He had a couple of magistrates who assisted him but that was about it. He was very close to one of our founders, Bob Blakemore.”
While the two were colleagues for years, Meeker said he first got to know Judge Zurz in 1966.
“I had just graduated from the University of Notre Dame and I got a ticket,” said Meeker. “Dick Zurz represented me and the defense was a success.
“He later became a real asset at the firm and to me personally,” said Meeker. “He was wonderful to be around and very dedicated. He came into the office right up until the end. We miss him.”
Bowler said Judge Zurz made it a point to keep up on case law and other changes affecting domestic relations/family law cases.
“Even though he was in his 80s he never stopped studying and always came into the office every morning for at least half of the day,” said Bowler.
Freeland Oliverio, an associate at Blakemore, Meeker & Bowler first met Judge Zurz in the summer of 2016 when he was a law clerk at the firm.
“I got to know Judge Zurz much better once I started working here full time in August,” said Oliverio. “He was a mentor to me. He brought me to family court and showed me the ropes a few times because he knew I was interested in family law.
“He was always willing to explain how the court worked and how certain laws are applied. He spoke plainly and was very thorough, which was easy for him to do because he was so knowledgeable. He was a very good man.”
Blakemore, Meeker & Bowler Paralegal Michelle Lucas worked with Judge Zurz for about 12 years.
“Judge Zurz was a great guy,” said Lucas. “He was very knowledgeable, quick-witted and straightforward. He loved to play golf and was always interested in what was going on in other people’s lives.
“Every morning he would stop by my office and ask how I was doing,” she said. “To me he was like a dad, grandpa, friend and boss all wrapped up in one.”
Judge Zurz was a member of the Ohio State Bar Association and the Ohio Academy of Trial Lawyers.
He was known for his political advocacy and was active in the local Democratic Party for most of his career. In 1970, Judge Zurz co-chaired the successful campaign of Ohio Gov. John Gilligan.
A longtime member of the Ohio Prestwick Country Club and a former member of the Firestone Country Club, Judge Zurz played in the Firestone Tournament of Champions pro-am for many years, beating the pro he was paired with several times.
Bowler said Judge Zurz was also club champion at Firestone and Prestwick on multiple occasions.
“He was undoubtedly the best amateur golfer in Summit County for many, many years,” said Bowler.
“My dad visited and played at pretty much every well-known golf course in the country,” said Richard. “My mom was also an avid player but was not at the same level as my dad was.
“My dad and I played many matches against one another,” he said. “We used to play every Sunday and even though he had COPD he did not let that stop him. He would play golf with his portable oxygen tank.”
A memorial celebrating the life of Judge Zurz took place on Oct. 23 at the Ohio Prestwick Country Club.
Judge Zurz is survived by his children LeeAnn (Mark) Gorman, DeeAnn Zurz and Richard Jr. (Kimberly); his grandchildren Matthew, Lauren (Sean) Zalesny, Callie and Kyle and great-grandchildren Ava, Tyler and Carter.
His parents and his wife Georgia preceded him in death.