Retired judge David Basinski cared for others and loved the law, peers remember

ELYRIA — David Basinski loved being a judge so much even retirement couldn't make him give it up. After his age made him ineligible to run again for Lorain County Domestic Relations judge and he retired at the end of 2012, Basinski was known for his work as a visiting judge under the appointment of the Ohio Supreme Court. "He was working three weeks a month up until a few weeks ago when he had a heart attack," said Lorain County Domestic Relations Court Judge Frank Janik, who succeeded Basinski and learned under his mentorship. "He had a standing two weeks every month in Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court and a week in Medina Domestic Court." Basinski died Aug. 6 "with peace and dignity" at Kingston of Vermilion at age 83, according to his obituary. He was born in Elyria and had resided in Vermilion for the past 12 years. Basinski was highly regarded among lawyers and judges, Janik said, known for his passion for the law as well as the bow tie he rarely was seen without. "He was very generous with his time and wisdom, and but for the age restriction I think he would have still been on the bench," Janik said. Lorain County Common Pleas Judge Chris Cook said Basinski was an honorable man who was principled and did not play favorites as a judge. Other judges would look up to Basinski as a role model, Cook said. Lorain County Domestic Relations Court Administrative Judge Lisa Swenski described Basinski as "a pillar in the legal community for decades" in a statement she wrote on behalf of the domestic relations bench. "Lorain County has lost a truly valuable public servant and the Domestic Relations Court has lost an irreplaceable member of its family," she wrote. One of Basinski's signature achievements was creating the Seminar for Separating Parents, a program that helps parents go through divorce litigation without causing harm to their children, according to Swenski. Domestic Relations Court Administrator Jody Barilla described the seminar as "his baby." "He really believed in the love and relationship that a child has with both parents," she said. "He always said mothers give children something that fathers cannot, and fathers give children something mothers cannot." Barilla, who was Basinski's staff magistrate beginning in 2002, remembered him as principled, fair and humble — a mentor and a great boss. As a Marine Corps veteran, he respected people he interacted with but he also demanded respect from others, she said. His hearings always started on time as a matter of respect for lawyers' schedules, Barilla said. Any lawyer who showed up late would be subject to a stern talking-to in the judge's chambers. "That would usually be the first and last time that anyone was ever late to one of his hearings," she recalled. Former Elyria Mayor Holly Brinda was sworn into the mayorship by Basinski in December 2011, but they knew each other for many years prior. She worked on Basinski's first campaign to become judge, she said, and worked alongside him in the Voices for Children program he brought to Lorain County. The program trains volunteers to speak in court for abused or neglected children. "He and his wife Ellen had five sons so he was very committed to family," Brinda said. "I know he knew how important the family structure is to the success of not only families, but children in the future." The Basinski family — Ellen in particular — made national headlines in 2009 for a commitment to defending the family home, in a literal sense. She was on the phone with her husband when several teenagers began robbing the Basinskis' home in front of her. Ellen used a cooking pot to protect herself, whacking one of the home invaders twice before they fled. She later identified the teenage robbers after they were caught. The judge was frightened by what he heard on the phone and rushed home along with his bailiff. The couple had planned to babysit a grandchild but decided to go out to a nice dinner instead after the robbery. The incident received widespread attention across the country. In addition to his involvement locally, David Basinski was a past president of the Ohio Association of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and the Governor's Task Force on Child Abuse. He was co-chair of the Advisory Committee to the Ohio Supreme Court on Children, Families and the Court, according to his obituary. Basinski is survived by his wife, Ellen, five children, 15 grandchildren and two sisters. The family is receiving friends Tuesday from 3-7 p.m. at the Riddle Funeral Home, 5345 South Street, Vermilion, according to his obituary. Prayers will be said at the funeral home at 10 a.m. Wednesday followed by a 10:30 a.m. Mass of Christian Burial at St. Mary Catholic Parish, 731 Exchange Street Vermilion. The celebrant will be Father Jim Holmer. The Vermilion Veterans Council will conduct Military Honors at interment following Mass at Brownhelm Cemetery. The Basinski family has suggested contributions to the Naughton-Basinski Scholarship Fund at Elyria Catholic High School, the Blessing House in Lorain or Birthright of Lorain County in lieu of flowers. Contact the reporter Dylan Reynolds at (440) 329-7123 or dreynolds@chroniclet.com. Follow him on Twitter @drey1357.