Friends describe Judge Robert Nader as the ‘ultimate public official’

WARREN -- The words "respect" and "gentleman" were used in describing Judge Robert A. Nader, 90, who died Friday, surrounded by his family.

Nader, a reluctant star to many in varying areas of his life, was known for making principled decisions as a judge and politician. Throughout his career as Warren councilman (1960-66), state representative (1971-82), Trumbull County Common Pleas judge (1982-90) and 11th District Court of Appeals judge (1990-2002), those who knew and worked with and for him remember Nader as a true mentor.

"He was really the role model for what an elected person should be -- he was intelligent and worked hard, he was one of the most principled people I have ever met. He was respected by everyone," Judge Thomas Gysegem said.

The son of Lebanese immigrants, Nader was always a hard worker, many friends noted, from his awarded days playing football at Warren G. Harding High School and with the U.S. Army, which garnered him a place in the Warren Hall of Fame in 2002, the same year he retired from the bench. At the time of his Court of Appeals second-term run, Nader had experienced 8,000 cases in a 14-year span, including his seat on the original three-judge panel that convicted Danny Lee Hill in the Trumbull County Court of Common Pleas in 1986.

"He was a leader, a gentleman, a hard-working judge -- his journey was fairness. He was a great gentlemen; he worked so hard and did a great job at whatever he did," Trumbull County Prosecutor Dennis Watkins said.

Nader attended Western Reserve University School of Law and was an active chairman in many professional organizations, serving on the legislative committee of the Ohio Courts of Appeals Judges Association. His opinions on decisions made in common pleas courts and in the Ohio Supreme Court were published. Nader had been a member of St. Mary Church and the Knights of Columbus, and was active throughout his life in the Trumbull New Theatre as a patron, participant and founding member.

"My relationship was two-sided with Judge Nader," said Emily Webster Love, former TNT co-star of the play "Private Lives" and former local news reporter and friend. "As Judge Nader, he had a very great sense of responsibility as to what he represented, but people didn't know about his sense of fun and love of theater."

A family man, Nader also was known to extend his care to those in the community. When visiting family gravesites, friends recalled Nader looking not only on family graves, but also on others he knew.

Nader practiced law in Warren with his brother, the late Paul Nader, from 1953 to 1983, at the Nader and Nader law firm, and was a past president of the local bar association, which endorsed his candidacy for judge. His wife and caretaker, Nancy, a retired school teacher, had been employed and worked as a volunteer at the Butler Institute of American Art. She and her husband were known to support area charities and organizations during his career and long after his retirement from the bench.

"They were a great couple," said state Sen. Michael J. O'Brien, D-Warren, noting the Naders were among a group of several people who met weekly to discuss law and politics at Enzo's restaurant.

Among his many accomplishments at the state level, Nader served as chair of the reference and judiciary committees and was influential in securing the necessary funds to construct the Trumbull County Family Court -- at the time the first court to combine domestic and juvenile relations all within one building.

"There are politicians, public officials; then there is Bob Nader, the ultimate public official," O'Brien said.