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Beloved Barberton attorney passes away
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: August 15, 2014
He was a policeman, lawyer, city councilman and state legislator, but 87-year-old attorney David L. Headley will be remembered most for his dedication to his wife and family.
The Norton resident passed away on Aug. 6, after a long illness.
“My father was a born leader,” said Jennie Headley Weakland, one of Headley’s five children. “He was charismatic, commanding attention in any room that he was in. Anybody who knew him loved him.”
Born in Akron, Ohio on Jan. 14, 1927, Headley graduated from Kenmore High School, serving in the U.S. Army Military Police Corps in Italy. After returning to the area, he married Lena Moodispaugh, a union that lasted 63 years until Moodispaugh passed away in 2012.
“My mom was his true love and he put her above everything else,” said Headley Weakland. “He always made it a point to be a part of our lives.”
She said her father had big dreams from a young age and did not mind working hard to make them come true.
“He did not believe the word ‘can’t’ belonged in the human vocabulary and insisted that his children did not use the word in their vernacular,” said Headley Weakland.
She said her father worked his way through college, with her mother helping out by working at Diamond Match. After graduating from The University of Akron, Headley took a job as a Barberton policeman, going to The University of Akron School of Law at night.
“My dad always told me when I was a kid that it was his job to fight for the underdog,” said Headley Weakland. “He taught us to live our lives the same way.”
After passing the bar, Headley worked in the Barberton prosecutor’s office, later opening his own practice in Barberton. For a brief period, he was in partnership with John Deibel, John Judge and Adam Gadanac.
“When I started my law practice in Barberton in 1963 my office was two blocks away from Dave’s,” said Deibel. “I’m not sure how we met but eventually the four of us became partners.
“Dave and I terminated the formal partnership after John and Adam became judges,” said Deibel. “We remained associates and worked out of the building we owned on West Paige.”
While Headley was more of a general practitioner, the latter part of his career was dedicated to handling probate and estate planning work, said Deibel.
“Dave was not only an excellent attorney, he was a wonderful guy to know. He was very dedicated to the law, but especially dedicated to his wife. He took care of her for many years.”
Solo practitioner Salvatore P. Puglisi began working with Headley 40 years ago as a law clerk.
“He hired me even though my resume was full of factory experience,” said Puglisi. “He told me that he worked his way through college in factories so he wanted to give me a chance.”
Puglisi later bought a share of the building on W. Paige Avenue, working out of the same office with Headley and Deibel.
“David was a mentor to me,” said Puglisi. “He would have me watch him try a case. When my first jury trial resulted in a not guilty verdict he told me that I must have felt like I was floating on top of the sidewalk as I walked back to the office and he was right.”
The three later sold the building to the Barberton Community Foundation.
“Dave was one of the first attorneys in the area to use computers,” said Puglisi. “His IBM typewriter had memory so we were able to store certain forms like pleadings and legal descriptions. He was kind of an office management guru so he tried to keep up with the latest technology.
“He got me addicted to the game of golf,” said Puglisi. “David would golf on Wednesdays and then come back and work at night. He worked a lot of hours. One of the things we always did was prepare for jury trials together. I would play prosecutor and we would work quite late. He always said preparing for trial was harder than trying the case. I guess that is why he had such a successful trial practice.”
Headley also had a passion for politics, first serving as 6th Ward councilman in Barberton and later as a Democratic state representative. He was also state senator from 1972 to 1976.
“He decided not to run again because of his wife’s health,” said Puglisi.
“Not only was David a dedicated husband, father and public servant, but he lived each day of his life with uncommon empathy for others, particularly those with less privilege,” said U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown. “During our time together in the statehouse, I admired his commitment to his community, his advocacy for those in need, and his service to our country. Connie and I join the Akron community in expressing our deepest condolences to his family and friends.”
“One thing many people might not know about my father is that he was shy,” said Headley Weakland. “He worked his whole life to overcome his shyness so that no one would ever know that.”
She said her father was an avid reader, who always kept himself in good physical condition, jogging in his ‘70s and hiking the Appalachian Trail with his son and grandson-in-law.
In addition to his political service, Headley served on The University of Akron board of trustees, including two stints as board chairman.
“Though he maintained his office in a small town, David Headley did not labor in anonymity,” said former Akron Bar Association board of trustees member, Orville Reed, a partner at Stark & Knoll. “David was the unelected and unassuming dean of Barberton lawyers for many decades. He led by virtue of his intellectual probity, keen insight and humility. Our collective memories of David, as a lawyer and public servant, will provide a beacon for everyone who pursues the ideal of a more just society.”
Puglisi said Headley stopped going to court in 1993, moving his practice into his home the following year so that he could keep watch over his wife. “I think he stopped practicing around age 78,” he said.
“My dad always encouraged us to debate him on any subject and express our opinions and I let my son do the same thing. I also want my family to be the most important thing in my life,” said Headley Weakland, a long-term substitute language arts teacher at Highland Middle School in Medina.
Funeral services took place August 11 at the Campfield-Hickman-Collier Funeral Home in Barberton. Headley was buried at Greenlawn Memorial Park, next to his wife, Lena. Headley is survived by his sons, David and Mark; daughters, Robin Morgan, Sally Weizer (Randy) and Jennie Headley Weakland (John); the granddaughter he raised, Brenda Davidson (John); grandchildren, Jessica Weizer, Shane Morgan, Katie Weizer and Jett David Weakland; three great-grandchildren; his sister, Ada June Witchey; and many nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.
“My father is the greatest person I have ever known. If I can be half the person he was then I would be a great person,” said Headley Weakland.