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Family and colleagues remember Judge Charles J. Bannon
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: September 9, 2021
A fair and impartial judge, who followed the law and showed compassion toward those who came before him, retired Mahoning County Common Pleas Court Judge Charles J. Bannon served as a mentor to many legal professionals over the years, including two sitting common pleas court judges.
“The very first piece of advice Judge Bannon gave me when I took the bench was to ‘remember that every person who appears in front of me, no matter what crime they are charged with is a human being,’” said Mahoning County Common Pleas Court Judge Jack Durkin.
Mahoning County Common Pleas Court Judge R. Scott Krichbaum said Judge Bannon became a mentor to him when he took the bench as well and was very generous with his time and advice.
“I really looked up to Judge Bannon,” said Judge Krichbaum. “He was a proud member of the bar, who took the law to heart. He was a role model for judges and lawyers alike.”
On July 20 Judge Bannon passed away, following complications from heart disease. He was 93.
“I adored my father,” said his daughter Lisa Bannon, a longtime editor and reporter for The Wall Street Journal in New York. “He always made us a priority. He was supportive and a fantastic role model for me, my brothers and my entire family.
“I was extremely proud of him. He was the best father a girl could have.”
Mahoning County Clerk of Courts Anthony Vivo described Judge Bannon as “one of the most beloved judges who ever served on the Mahoning County Common Pleas Court bench.”
Vivo said Judge Bannon was “empathetic” and treated everyone well.
“Judge Bannon and my father were very close and as time went on I got to know him quite well,” said Vivo. “He was a very good judge and an amazing person.”
“Judge Bannon was kind and thoughtful,” said Judge Durkin. “He loved his family, he loved the law and he was respectful of the attorneys and the parties who appeared in his courtroom. He will truly be missed.”
Born in Youngstown on June 6, 1928, he was the youngest of Charles Oliver Bannon and Myra Price Bannon’s two children.
After Judge Bannon’s mother died of tuberculosis when he was four, the family moved in with his grandparents and extended family. His daughter said the politically active family helped to inspire Judge Bannon’s lifelong career in public service.
Judge Bannon’s father was president of the Mahoning County Democratic Club and a leader of the local Democratic Party; his uncle Jack Bannon served as Mahoning County Treasurer and his uncle Robert Bannon was a longtime Boardman Township trustee.
His father later remarried and had another son, Michael.
While attending South High School, Judge Bannon played jazz trumpet and became the leader of the school’s swing band. After graduating from high school in 1947, he joined the Ray Robbins Band and toured dance halls and ballrooms across the South and Midwest for a year before deciding to return to Youngstown and pursue a college degree.
Judge Bannon entered Youngstown State University in 1948, majoring in history and social science. Two years later he was drafted and served in the U.S. Army until 1952.
Judge Bannon married his high school bandmate Betty Jane Dimenno in 1950. They had three children, Lisa, Charles John and Breen.
“My father was the definition of honesty and integrity,” said Lisa. “I can remember as a child that our doorbell would often ring at Christmastime and the delivery person would have fancy gifts for my father. We kids would get very excited about it, but he would never accept them and would instead send them back with the person delivering them.
“As a child I did not understand it, but later in life I knew why he did it. He would tell me, ‘Lisa there’s no such thing as a free lunch,’ explaining that you cannot accept favors from anyone if you want to remain impartial and maintain your integrity. It’s something that has stayed with me my entire career.”
Judge Bannon graduated from Youngstown College Law School in 1957, practicing for the next 16 years. He often accepted court assignments to represent indigent clients.
“My dad once said, he viewed the legal profession as a way to ‘help others through the law,’” said Lisa.
He hung an oil painting of a seascape, given to him by his first client in lieu of legal fees over the fireplace in his living room as a reminder of why he became a lawyer, she said.
In 1968, Judge Bannon was elected as a county court judge in Boardman, where he presided over traffic and misdemeanor offenses.
Six years later, he was elected to the Mahoning County Common Pleas Court bench.
Judge Bannon would go on to serve for the next 24 years, handling many of Youngstown’s high-profile criminal and civil cases.
Judge Bannon’s most publicized case was in 1983 when he sentenced Mahoning County Sheriff and future U.S. Congressman James Traficant to 100 days in jail for contempt of court for refusing to sign foreclosure deeds for a number of homes.
Judge Krichbaum said Judge Bannon presided over several of his cases when he was a criminal defense attorney
“Jerry Ingram and I tried the aggravated murder death penalty case of James Lee Hall before Judge Bannon,” said Judge Krichbaum. “It lasted three weeks and was very emotional for everyone, including Judge Bannon. The jury found our client guilty of a far lesser offense so the death penalty was not imposed.
“In another one of my cases, Judge Bannon was forced to find my client not guilty because the evidence could not be corroborated without a co-defendant’s testimony. It was a very difficult finding for Judge Bannon to make and it took a lot of courage.
“But no matter how difficult the case, Judge Bannon was a fair judge, who always complied with the law. Anyone who drew his court knew they would get a fair shake.”
Prior to taking the bench, Judge Durkin tried many cases, including an aggravated murder trial with death penalty specifications in front of Judge Bannon.
“Judge Bannon was incredibly fair and would always follow the law,” said Judge Durkin.
Retired Mahoning County Common Pleas Court Administrator T. Gordon Welsh, who served as Judge Bannon’s bailiff when he was in the county and common pleas courts said he was “terribly impressed” with Judge Bannon.
“I’ve always told people that next to my dad he was the most honorable man I knew,” said Welsh.
“Judge Bannon was very knowledgeable about the law and had all the legal ability in the world,” said Welsh. “He was dedicated to the court and the law.
“While he hated sending people to the penitentiary he did his job,” said Welsh. “He was a kindly man, but not a pushover. He treated everyone who came into his courtroom humanely. I never heard him raise his voice in the courtroom.
“He was a great man and a great family man,” Welsh said. “I miss him terribly already.”
Judge Bannon retired from the Common Pleas Court bench in 1999, but continued to serve as a visiting judge in Mahoning, Trumbull and Portage counties for the next ten years.
His daughter said when he wasn’t working, he enjoyed spending time at Lake Erie with his wife Joan, whom he married in 1985, growing tomatoes in their backyard, cutting the grass and listening to Big Band jazz artists like Count Basie and Rosemary Clooney.
He resumed playing the trumpet in recent years and practiced every day, said Lisa.
“My father had a special passion for motor scooters, learned from his sons, and Volkswagen Beetles,” said Lisa.
Judge Bannon was a member of many professional and civic organizations, including The Mahoning County and Ohio State bar associations, the Ohio Judicial Conference, the Ohio Common Pleas Judges Association and the Muscular Dystrophy Association, where he served on the executive committee.
He was also a longtime member of Buckeye Elks Lodge No. 73, the Sons of Italy Youngstown Lodge #858 and his church, St. Charles Borromeo Parish.
Over the course of his long career, Judge Bannon received numerous awards, including The Mahoning County Bar Association’s Professionalism Award in 2004 and its Lawyer of the Year Award in 1997.
In 2008, the Ohio State Bar Association recognized him for his 50 years of service.
A funeral mass was held for Judge Bannon on July 24 at St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Boardman.
Judge Bannon is survived by his wife Joan von Schullick Bannon; his daughter Lisa Bannon-Steinmetz (George); his son Breen O. Bannon (Elizabeth); stepdaughters Cathy Rarogiewicz (Michael) and Caren Compton; grandchildren Adam Bannon, John Bannon, Nell, Nicholas and John Steinmetz, Robert, Tiffany and Tabatha Rosenberg and one great-grandson, Jack Bannon.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his sister, Mary Louise Seckler; stepmother Leora Early Bannon; half-brother Michael and his son Charles John Bannon.