Family of David A. KATZ and Joan Gertrude SIEGEL

Mr. Katz was a successful corporate lawyer and managing partner at

Spengler Nathanson when, in 1994, President Bill Clinton appointed him

to the U.S. District Court in Toledo, following the recommendation of

U.S. Sens. John Glenn and Howard Metzenbaum. He also was active in the

Jewish community, as well as serving on numerous other boards.

In his 21 years on the bench, part of which was on senior status,

Judge Katz participated in thousands of cases and developed a national

reputation for his expertise in multidistrict class-action civil

litigation. He was respected for his reasoned deliberations and

courteous demeanor.

?He was able to rule with a firm, decisive hand without going about by

banging the gavel. We judges get paid to keep our tempers. David

certainly earned his paycheck, day-in and day-out, case by case,

lawyer by lawyer, and litigant by litigant,? said Judge James Carr,

who received his appointment to the federal bench simultaneously with

Judge Katz.

Among the high-profile cases handled by Judge Katz was the

racketeering trial of 14 members of the Outlaws motorcycle club in

2004.

Dave Bauer, a retired U.S. attorney, said the courtroom in the federal

courthouse had to be reconfigured to accommodate the defendants and

their attorneys for the Outlaws case. In addition, some electronic

equipment for new technology was used for the first time in the court

during the trial.

?I think, without question, that was his most difficult criminal trial

because it was one of our most difficult criminal trials. He handled

it very well under the circumstances,? Mr. Bauer said. ?That was a

complicated and national case. We had defendants and lawyers from all

over the country. He was one of the few jurists who could have handled

that the way he did.?

Judge Katz, who went on senior status in 2005, was still participating

in cases, working out of Toledo and at the federal courthouse near his

winter home in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Federal courthouse flags to fly at half-staff in late juristʼs honor

Out of respect for Judge David A. Katz, who died Tuesday at age 82,

flags will be flown at half-staff at all four federal courthouses in

the Northern District of Ohio through Thursday.

Judge Katz served more than 20 years as a judge in U.S. District

Court.

?Within the courthouse, even while he was there for the last time ?

when none of us expected how gravely ill he was ? he was always warm,

outgoing, and upbeat,? Judge Carr said.

Chief Judge Solomon Oliver, Jr., of the Northern District of Ohio said

Judge Katz had an outstanding background in law, a keen sense of

fairness, and presided with common sense.

?He could always be counted on. Although he had many strengths,

probably the most salient was his ability to resolve complex cases,?

said Judge Oliver, who has served in the federal court since 1995. ?He

was highly respected by lawyers as well as by all of his colleagues.

?As chief judge, I relied heavily on his wise counsel. We will sorely

miss David, but we shall never forget the tremendous contributions he

made to our court,? Judge Oliver said.

?Lawyers often speak of being a judgeʼs judge and sometimes as a

lawyerʼs judge. David certainly was both of those. Most importantly,

and uniquely perhaps, he was a clientʼs judge,? Judge Carr said.

?I donʼt know if I ever saw him angry in the courtroom,? Mr. Bauer

said. ?I think he was able to remain in control of the courtroom, in

part, because of his temperament and also because he garnered so much

respect from the lawyers who appeared before him. He was a highly

respected judge.?

Judge Katz also presided over the anti-trust lawsuit filed by the

Federal Trade Commission to prevent the takeover by ProMedica of St.

Lukeʼs Hospital in Maumee.

He was born Nov. 1, 1933, in Toledo to Ruth and Samuel Katz. His

family moved to Findlay, where his father worked for the Krantz

Brewery Co., which made Old Dutch beer.

He was a standout lineman on the Findlay High School football team. He

intended to continue playing football for the Ohio State University

Buckeyes, but he walked off the field after three days of practice.

Mr. Katz said his father worked in the kitchen of his fraternity house

to pay his room and board and attended classes full-time.

He received a business degree from Ohio State, and used his senior

year at the college to take dual-classes for his first year of law

school.

He married the former Joan Siegel on Sept. 4, 1955. A native of

Toledo, she began dating Mr. Katz while they were students at Ohio

State.

After graduating in 1957, he joined the Toledo law firm of then

Spengler Nathanson Heyman McCarthy and Durfee, and was elevated to

partner in 1963.

Business clients of Mr. Katz included the late Wally Iott and his

company, Seaway Food Town, which grew into a regional supermarket

chain, and the Wabash-Lagrange Steel Co.

James Jeffery, senior partner of Spengler Nathanson who worked with

Judge Katz from 1965 until he joined the court, said he was among the

most intelligent lawyers he has ever been associated with.

?He was a very bright man and an outstanding attorney. It was no

surprise that he would be appointed to the federal court,? he said.

Judge Katz was a devoted follower of his Jewish faith and an advocate

for the state of Israel. He was active in many Jewish organizations,

including the Jewish Federation of Greater Toledo and the Jewish

Community Center of Greater Toledo.

He belonged to Congregation Bʼnai Israel in Sylvania. In 1970, at age

36, he was installed as president of the synagogue, becoming the

youngest president in its history.

?He held a position on every board or organization in the Jewish

community through the years,? his son said.

The judgeʼs civic interests also extended outside his faith to include

the then St. Vincent Medical Center board to which he was appointed in

1996. Several years later he was named a director of the board for

Mercy Health System Northwest Region, serving until 2008.

He also was on the board of Northwest Ohio Heart Center, the Toledo

Symphony Orchestra, and the Toledo Zoo Foundation.

?I would say being active in the community was something of a

life-long thing for him. We, as children, saw that as we grew up,? his

son said. ?Dad worked a regular job during the day and was

volunteering on one board or another in the evening.

?It was a way of life for him.?

That lifestyle extended down through the generations of Judge Katzʼs

family as well. His son-in-law Joel Beren, for instance, who is

president of Cherry Picked Auto Parts, has also been CEO of the Jewish

Federation of Greater Toledo.

Judge Katz received the prestigious William K. Thomas Distinguished

Jurist award from OSUʼs Alumni Society of the Moritz College of Law in

2001.

Surviving are his wife, Joan; daughters and sons-in-law, Linda and

Joel Beren and Debbie Katz and Jon Liebenthal; son and

daughter-in-law, Michael and Robin Katz; sister, Sandra Katz Ringer;

brother Ronald Katz; 12 grandchildren, and one great-granddaughter.

An accomplished woman in her own right, she was a teacher, dedicated community leader and volunteer. A Trustee of The University of Toledo from 1984-1993, after receiving the appointment from Governor Richard Celeste, she was also past president of the Women's Board of the Jewish Federation of Greater Toledo, a life member and former president of Hadassah, board member of Congregation B'nai Israel and the Toledo Bar Association Auxiliary, a recipient of the Toledo Jewish Federation's Levison Young Leadership Award, Women's Campaign Chair of the Toledo Jewish Federation, and vice-chairman of the Toledo Jamie Farr Toledo Classic LPGA tournament. Later in life she was an advocate and tutor for the Read for Literacy Program where her students often became her friends.

She will be sorely missed by lifelong friends in Toledo, many of whom she shared special relationships, family celebrations and community interests with. There were also new friends in the Riverwalk Community of West Palm Beach where she and David spent winters and Joan became an avid fan of water aerobics. All who knew her appreciated her kind and gentle manner and keen insight into any situation.

As a daughter and wife she was exemplary, but truly shone as a mother, grandmother, and great-grand mother. Six children and children-in-law, twelve grandchildren and two great-granddaughters adored their mother and Grandma Joanie. They loved to help her garden, learned to play Mahjong, help her fix her computer or just hang out. All of her grandchildren shared special bonds with their grandmother and each have a lifetime of wonderful stories to cherish. She was a lover of bridge and crossword puzzles, a tradition she carried on from her mother.