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By Beacon Journal staff report
POSTED: 10:46 p.m. EDT, Jul 02, 2009
Akron Municipal Court Judge Linda Kersker died about 6 p.m. Thursday at the Cleveland Clinic.
The cause of death was a serious heart problem, a descending aortic aneurysm, the cause of death of actor John Ritter in September 2003.
Kersker, 61, was placed in a medical coma and underwent surgery on Thursday, but there were no signs of brain activity when doctors tried to end the coma and revive her, friends said.
She was taken off life support and pronounced dead about 6 p.m.
''We're going to miss her. She was a wonderful judge and a great person,'' said Akron Municipal Court Judge Stephen Fallis. ''She was a person with great energy and a passion for life and public work.''
She spoke eloquently at a fundraiser 10 days ago about being a judge and her plans to continue doing good things by being a judge, he said.
Added partner Jeffrey T. Heintz of the Akron law firm Brouse McDowell, where Kersker worked 37 years: ''She was remarkable with a zest for life and boundless energy and an enthusiasm that's remarkable. . . . She had such verve in her career and in her life.''
Kersker, appointed to be judge in February, was ''having the time of her life,'' he said.
''She was very good at it. She took to it like a duck to water and it's tragic that she was a judge for so short a time,'' he said. ''It's so unfair.''
But Kersker ''always had the time of her life in everything she did,'' he said. ''That's just the way she was. She was happy and successful in everything she did.''
She was the first woman hired by Brouse McDowell and the first woman partner at a large Akron law firm and the first woman to head a legal practice area in Akron, Heintz said.
Kersker was stricken Tuesday night at a Fallis fundraiser in Cuyahoga Falls.
She was taken to Akron City Hospital on Tuesday. She was tired but in good spirits, friends said. She was flown on Wednesday by helicopter to the clinic.
According to Fallis, Kersker's medical condition was like a roller coaster on Thursday. Things did not look good early in the day but improved later, and that's when she underwent the heart surgery, he said.
Kersker served 16 years on the Akron Board of Education, retiring in 2007.
Akron Municipal Court Judge Linda Kersker died about 6 p.m. Thursday at the Cleveland Clinic.
The cause of death was a serious heart problem, a descending aortic aneurysm, the cause of death of actor John Ritter in September 2003.
Kersker, 61, was placed in a medical coma and underwent surgery on Thursday, but there were no signs of brain activity when doctors tried to end the coma and revive her, friends said.
She was taken off life support and pronounced dead about 6 p.m.
''We're going to miss her. She was a wonderful judge and a great person,'' said Akron Municipal Court Judge Stephen Fallis. ''She was a person with great energy and a passion for life and public work.''
She spoke eloquently at a fundraiser 10 days ago about being a judge and her plans to continue doing good things by being a judge, he said.
Added partner Jeffrey T. Heintz of the Akron law firm Brouse McDowell, where Kersker worked 37 years: ''She was remarkable with a zest for life and boundless energy and an enthusiasm that's remarkable. . . . She had such verve in her career and in her life.''
Kersker, appointed to be judge in February, was ''having the time of her life,'' he said.
''She was very good at it. She took to it like a duck to water and it's tragic that she was a judge for so short a time,'' he said. ''It's so unfair.''
But Kersker ''always had the time of her life in everything she did,'' he said. ''That's just the way she was. She was happy and successful in everything she did.''
She was the first woman hired by Brouse McDowell and the first woman partner at a large Akron law firm and the first woman to head a legal practice area in Akron, Heintz said.
Kersker was stricken Tuesday night at a Fallis fundraiser in Cuyahoga Falls.
She was taken to Akron City Hospital on Tuesday. She was tired but in good spirits, friends said. She was flown on Wednesday by helicopter to the clinic.
According to Fallis, Kersker's medical condition was like a roller coaster on Thursday. Things did not look good early in the day but improved later, and that's when she underwent the heart surgery, he said.
Kersker served 16 years on the Akron Board of Education, retiring in 2007.
Comments
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Posted 11:02 PM, 07/02/2009
This is a tragedy! Linda was a great person who gave much to this community. She will be missed and I will feel it an honor to be present at her funeral..sad as it will make me.
Cuyahoga Falls, OH
Posted 12:04 AM, 07/03/2009
My condolences to the family.
Akron, OH
Posted 12:17 AM, 07/03/2009
This is such a tragic loss for our community. RIP Judge Kersker, thank you so much for your service to the entire City of Akron.
Barberton, OH
Posted 01:45 AM, 07/03/2009
ABJ said: "The cause of death was a serious heart problem, a descending aortic aneurysm, the cause of death of actor John Ritter in March 2008".
Not to take anything away from this sad situation, but didn't Ritter die earlier than 2008? I thought is was 2006 or 2007.
Tepplin, DC
Posted 01:55 AM, 07/03/2009
My condolences to her family and friends. Kersker was an excellent public servant and an asset to Akron. This city just lost a good woman.
dayton, oh
Posted 02:00 AM, 07/03/2009
Just a note - John Ritter died in 2003.
Stow, OH
Posted 05:05 AM, 07/03/2009
It was just as few minutes ago that I saw the Ohio.com article that Ms. Kersker died. I do not consider myself cold, but ususally react to deaths in a fairly matter of fact manner. Since seeing the notice of Ms. Kersker's death, I have had a pit in my stomach and have felt a real sense of loss. When employed by the Akron Public Schools I had a number of both direct and indirect dealings with Ms. Kersker. I thought Ms. Kersker's had strong undertanding of the human condition and was, at her very core, a decent and kind person. She could be trusted to make decisions that took into account how lives would be affected. I admired her humanity.
akron , oh
Posted 05:58 AM, 07/03/2009
2003 or 2008 close enough for the beacon journal .
this is just a little mistake.
the big mistakes are print each and every day by douglas and hoffman on the editorial page
Akron, Oh
Posted 07:44 AM, 07/03/2009
God bless you, Linda.
Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family at this tragic time.
Akron, OH
Posted 07:53 AM, 07/03/2009
Awe, this is a shame. My condolences to the family.
Uniontown, OH
Posted 09:33 AM, 07/03/2009
My condolences to the family. I know how difficult this is as my father died of the same exact thing 25 years ago. It's a "silent" disease. My deepest sympathy.
Duluth, MN
Posted 11:47 AM, 07/03/2009
I graduated with Linda from Firestone High School and had not seen her in a long time but I am very sad to hear of her death. I send my condolences to her family. She had made such a contribution to the community. Linda (Solt) Vokes
akron, OH
Posted 11:54 AM, 07/03/2009
Very sad and unexpected.
Posted 12:18 PM, 07/03/2009
Linda was my Mom, my best friend and a very bright light in my life. There is a hole in my life and my heart. She has been a very inspiring help in the raising of my son, her grandson Zeff who was the light of her life.
We will go on the best we can, but everyone Linda touched with her enthusiastic and positive spirit has benefited.
Thank you all for you thoughts and prayers.
Linda Tustin
Posted 02:41 PM, 07/03/2009
Thank you for a life lived well! Linda was a model attorney, community leader, good friend, and citizen. She will be missed by all of us who were touched by her intellect, concern, and joyful being.
AK, Oh
Posted 04:40 PM, 07/03/2009
My condolences go out to her family.. May the Lord comfort those that she left behind. God Bless.
Posted 04:53 PM, 07/03/2009
What a sad loss to the Akron community! She was a wonderful and kind woman.
Cuyahoga Falls, Oh
Posted 04:57 PM, 07/03/2009
As an attorney with the privilege to appear before Judge Kersker, it is with deep sadness I give my condolences to her family, friends, and community that will feel her loss acutely. Judge Kersker was an incredibly gracious, earnest, sincere and incredible member of the bench, and one of the kindest I have known. It is a loss that seems so unjust, but I and all the attorneys in my office will be thinking and praying for her family. I know her kindness and sense of justice will shine through all of us who had the pleasure of her acquaintance, and we would all do well to hope for her vitality in any courtroom we enter. God bless, Your Honor, it was a privilege.
akron, oh
Posted 05:55 PM, 07/03/2009
thankfully, in this sad event, all the posts on the forum have been appropriately directed towards the loss of this great woman. rip judge...
akron, oh
Posted 08:17 PM, 07/03/2009
R.I.P. dear, sweet friend of Akron. May God hold you in his arms tonight.
akron, Oh
Posted 10:05 PM, 07/03/2009
I knew and worked with Judge Kersker for only a short time, and found her to be a lovely person. My thoughts and prayers are with the family in their time of loss. God bless you all. She will be missed by many.
Posted 04:18 AM, 07/04/2009
Linda was a great person. My heart felt condolences to the family.
Posted 10:03 PM, 07/04/2009
Thank you all for your condolences.
We will miss her presence in our life forever.
Linda Tustin
Akron, OH
Posted 12:33 AM, 07/05/2009
I did not know Linda Kersker. I believe all of these testimonials. May the angels bear Linda into paradise. May she have eternal rest. Amen
