Donald A DeCessna, 95, of Venice, FL, retired judge from the Wood County Court of Common Pleas, and long time lawyer in Perrysburg, Ohio, died Feb. 19th in Venice, FL.
Don was born in 1928 in Newark, Ohio to John W. and Georgia G. DeCessna.
Growing up, Don learned the value of hard work at a young age by working on his Uncle’s farm in the summers. In 1947, Don graduated from North High School in Columbus, Ohio and entered Ohio State University, graduating in 1951 with a BS in Business Administration. He then went to Ohio State University Law school, graduating with a Juris Doctor degree in 1953.
As an undergraduate at OSU, Don was in ROTC and in 1953, was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant and served 2 years in the US Air Force in Cleveland, Ohio as an investigator for Security Clearances. From 1960-62, he was a Prosecutor for the City of Columbus. He then took a job at the Ohio Attorney Generals Office working under William Saxbe. Under Saxbe, he worked in the Department of Natural Resources. It was there that he, on behalf of the State of Ohio, brought and won one of the first lawsuits against a company responsible for dumping chemicals into a river, resulting in a large fish kill. This was the start of the State of Ohio holding companies responsible for fish kills in Ohio rivers.
In 1967, Don was hired to be a trial lawyer by a private Law firm in Perrysburg, Ohio, which became the Law Office of Leatherman, Witzler, and DeCessna. In 1983, he ran against an incumbent in the primary for Wood County Common Pleas Judgeship and won. Leading up to this primary, Don visited almost every registered Republican voter’s home in Wood County, asking for their vote.
Starting in 1983, Don was elected to three terms as a Common Pleas Court Judge in Wood County, Ohio and served until his retirement in 1998. As a Judge, Don ran an efficient and organized court and was given an award for the high number of cases that were tried in his court. Don gave his trial jurors the opportunity to work hard, with some jury trials lasting until after 9 p.m.
Don married Mary Anderson in Nov. 1954, in Columbus, Ohio, and they spent their lives together until her passing in 2020. Mary and Don traveled extensively, visiting all 50 states and visiting many foreign countries, leading up to and during retirement.
Don was a member of many organizations during his life, including being past President of: Wood County Easter Seal Society, Perrysburg Lions Club, Wood County Bar Assoc. and was a member of: Rotary Club, Exchange Club, and Masonic Lodge.
In his spare time, Don liked to use his hands to build and fix things. In 1955, he built a pop up camping trailer, welding the frame and even sewing the canvas top together. Later his projects included building several stone fences at two of his homes. At age 65, he single-handedly re-shingled roofs on 5 rental properties and his own home.
Don is survived by his sister, Donna Lumb (Trevor), his son Jack (Sara), his son Brad, and daughter Denise, and his grandchildren, John and Laura.
Don will be laid to rest with his wife Mary in the Sarasota National Cemetery, Sarasota, FL.
