Calling hours for late Portage County Municipal Court Judge Mark Fankhauser will be Feb. 20.
Fankhauser, who died Feb. 15 at age 56, served 16 years in the countywide post. He was remembered by Portage County leaders, fellow judges and his staff as a fair jurist who treated people with respect.
An obituary posted Feb. 18 on the Shorts-Spicer-Crislip Funeral Home website said Fankhauser “will be remembered for his loyalty, generosity, and true compassion to everyone.”
Calling hours will be 4 to 8 p.m. Feb. 20 at Shorts-Spicer-Crislip Funeral Home, 141 Meridian St. in Ravenna. A celebration of life will take place at a later date.
Melissa Roubic, administrative judge of the Portage County Municipal Court, said a visiting judge has not yet been appointed to fill the seat. The court is using acting judges − attorneys who have Supreme Court approval to serve − to handle the caseload for the next two to three weeks. The Supreme Court of Ohio will name a visiting judge, who will serve until Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine appoints a replacement, who will serve until the next election.
Denise Smith, chair of the Portage County Democratic Party, said in prepared remarks that Fankhauser was “a pillar of our community” and that his loss “leaves behind impossible shoes to fill.”
“Judge Fankhauser was well known for a well-functioning courtroom that was fair and honest, and one that prioritized the rights of those who came before him,” Smith said. “He made a difficult system accessible for everyone who came through it, bringing both comfort and compassion to our municipal court. His commitment to justice was surpassed only by his love for his family, and working each and every day to make Portage County a better place for all of us. Our love and prayers are with Jill, Molly, Jake, Noah and the Fankhauser family at this time.”
The obituary mentions Fankhauser’s “greatest devotion” to his family, which included his wife, Jill, who serves as Portage County’s clerk of courts, and children Molly, Jake, and Noah. Other family included sisters Beth (Jason) Russell and Marla Boltz; parents-in-law Keith and Joyce Siegfried, his sister-in-law Beth Siegfried (Tim Nightengale), nephew Michael (Ellie) Boltz, and many other nieces and nephews. His parents, Robert and Linda (Liston) Fankhauser, died previously.
“While family was the most important thing in Mark’s life, many will remember him by his legacy that lives on in the fairness that he practiced, the hope he fostered, and the county he helped shape,” the obituary states. “Mark inspired others around him to be the best version of themselves. He believed deeply in justice and devoted himself to lifting up those in need. These qualities were evident to everyone whom he counseled and those that appeared in his court. Throughout his 16 years of serving the community as a judge, he presided over thousands of matters and was known for treating every person with courtesy,”
Fankhauser was a member of numerous boards in Portage County, including the Portage County Bar Association and Ravenna Elks Lodge.
The obituary suggests memorial donations to the Bob and Linda Fankhauser memorial scholarship fund at Axess Family Services, Attn: Mark Frisone, 705 Oakwood St., Suite 221, Ravenna OH 44266, or the National Kidney Foundation.
“Mark was a firm believer in kidney donation,” the obituary states. “If it wasn’t for the selfless organ donations from his father and cousin, Chris Fankhauser, Mark would never have been able to make such a positive impact in our lives.”
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Portage Judge Fankhauser hailed for ‘loyalty, generosity’
Reporting by Diane Smith, Ravenna Record-Courier / Record-Courier
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