Sheldon Meister

courtroom of the Fulton County Courthouse in Wauseon on Thursday, August 11th at 12:00 (Noon)

Sheldon C. Meister, a Delta, Ohio attorney for 55 years, died July 31, 2011 at the Hospice Inpatient facility in Defiance, Ohio with his law partner and wife, Joan, at his side. He was 82.

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Sheldon graduated from Cleveland Heights High School, Ohio University, and the Ohio State College of Law. He was admitted to the Ohio Bar in 1952.

The late Curtis G. Koester of Delta invited him to become an associate in February, 1954, and he continued in the general practice of law there until September, 2009. His legal expertise was in real property law, but his real love was criminal defense. He served many years as the Delta Village Solicitor and was elected to several terms on the Fulton County Board of Education, where he was instrumental in the formation of the PDY and Evergreen School districts. He took pride in his religious commitment as a Jew and his political commitment as a Democrat.

But he felt his greatest achievement lay in the education of his six children: Marc (Teckla), Asheville, NC; Philip (Rochelle), West Hartford, CT; Shelley (Jim) Piedmont, Ellicott City, MD; Johanna (Jim) Cunniff, Los Gatos, CA; Zachary (Wendy), West Chester, OH; and Antony (Jeanne), Huntley, IL. He attended graduations at Maumee Valley Country Day School, St. Ursula, St. John’s Jesuit, Amherst, Trinity (Hartford), William & Mary, Indiana University, University of Toledo, University of Illinois, Cornell, University of Cincinnati, University of Toledo College of Law, University of Connecticut College of Law, and Northern Illinois. He also attended the graduation of his oldest grandson, Benjamin Homelson-Meister at Dartmouth in 2009, but, happily, did not have to pay that tuition.

A brother, Donald of Beachwood, OH survives; 14 grandchildren; nephews, David Meister, Mayfield Heights, OH; Dan Meister, Albuquerque, NM; Adam and Bradley Eisenberg, San Diego, CA; and niece, Deanne Eisenberg, San Diego, CA.

Sheldon’s hobby was American Colleges. From adolescence, he collected catalogues and viewbooks and visited campuses. He enjoyed counseling non-family high school students on college choices and placed several in colleges that were an excellent fit to their needs. He loved books. His residence could easily pass for a used bookstore. He concentrated on English mysteries, political science, the Civil War, and art appreciation.

There will be no visitation. Sheldon donated his body to the University of Toledo Medical College of Medicine. The Fulton County Bar Association will honor him with a memorial service in the common pleas courtroom of the Fulton County Courthouse in Wauseon on Thursday, August 11th at 12:00 (Noon). The family respectfully suggests that any tributes in his memory be made to the Community Health Professionals of Williams and Fulton County, 230 Westfield Dr., Archbold, OH 43502.

Residence: Swanton, Ohio

Memorial Service: The Fulton County Bar Association will honor him with a memorial service in the common pleas