Retired Circuit Court Judge William Wilson O'Hearn, who was a compassionate as he was firm on the bench, died of heart failure Thursday at St. Joseph Hospital. He was 82.
Mr. O'Hearn presided for 24 years over Division 8 of Circuit Court, where friends and colleagues remembered him as a soft spoken, courteous and always on top of the law.
"I never heard a cross word form Judge O'Hearn in 50 years", said lawyer William Walsh, a longtime friend. "He was very thorough and hardworking. He also had a grand Irish sense of humor."
Mr. O'Hearn, an avid horseback rider, was a member of the Serra Club, The American Bar Association, the Tennessee Bar Association and the Memphis Bar Association. He also was an amateur boxer.
He was an officer of the Military Order of the World Wars and served as a Major during World War II.
Mr. O'Hearn also was a former assistant district attorney and worked as a part-time city attorney before winning his first of three eight year terms in 1966.
"He was universally liked and respected by everyone in the Memphis Legal Community," said lawyer Charles Newman, President of the Memphis Bar Association. "He was able in a way that's rare to keep complete control of his court, perform his duties as a judge and stay on top of the law while retaining the admiration and affections of all the lawyers in his court. It's another great loss for the legal community."
Longtime Memphis lawyers and community activists, Walter P. Armstrong, Jr. and Lucius Burch Jr. also died this month.
Circuit Court Clerk's Office Manager Thad Lee, one of Mr. O'Hearns former court clerks, died last month during a church league basketball game.
After Mr. O'Hearn retired in 1990, a group of lawyers and judges dedicated a portrait of him in a ceremony in his old courtroom.
Mass will be said for Mr. O'Hearn at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at St. Anne Catholic Church on Highland, where he was a communicant. Burial will be in Calvary. Canale Funeral Directors has charge.
Mr. O'Hearn, the widower of Mary Ann Turley O'Hearn, leaves a daughter, Mary Ann O'Hearn Sawyer and a brother, John J. O'Hearn, both of Memphis, and three grandchildren.
The family requests any memorials be sent to MIFA, Catholic Charities of Memphis or a charity of the donor's choice.
The Commercial Appeal, March 22, 1996
Mr. O'Hearn presided for 24 years over Division 8 of Circuit Court, where friends and colleagues remembered him as a soft spoken, courteous and always on top of the law.
"I never heard a cross word form Judge O'Hearn in 50 years", said lawyer William Walsh, a longtime friend. "He was very thorough and hardworking. He also had a grand Irish sense of humor."
Mr. O'Hearn, an avid horseback rider, was a member of the Serra Club, The American Bar Association, the Tennessee Bar Association and the Memphis Bar Association. He also was an amateur boxer.
He was an officer of the Military Order of the World Wars and served as a Major during World War II.
Mr. O'Hearn also was a former assistant district attorney and worked as a part-time city attorney before winning his first of three eight year terms in 1966.
"He was universally liked and respected by everyone in the Memphis Legal Community," said lawyer Charles Newman, President of the Memphis Bar Association. "He was able in a way that's rare to keep complete control of his court, perform his duties as a judge and stay on top of the law while retaining the admiration and affections of all the lawyers in his court. It's another great loss for the legal community."
Longtime Memphis lawyers and community activists, Walter P. Armstrong, Jr. and Lucius Burch Jr. also died this month.
Circuit Court Clerk's Office Manager Thad Lee, one of Mr. O'Hearns former court clerks, died last month during a church league basketball game.
After Mr. O'Hearn retired in 1990, a group of lawyers and judges dedicated a portrait of him in a ceremony in his old courtroom.
Mass will be said for Mr. O'Hearn at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at St. Anne Catholic Church on Highland, where he was a communicant. Burial will be in Calvary. Canale Funeral Directors has charge.
Mr. O'Hearn, the widower of Mary Ann Turley O'Hearn, leaves a daughter, Mary Ann O'Hearn Sawyer and a brother, John J. O'Hearn, both of Memphis, and three grandchildren.
The family requests any memorials be sent to MIFA, Catholic Charities of Memphis or a charity of the donor's choice.
The Commercial Appeal, March 22, 1996
Retired Circuit Court Judge William Wilson O'Hearn, who was a compassionate as he was firm on the bench, died of heart failure Thursday at St. Joseph Hospital. He was 82.
Mr. O'Hearn presided for 24 years over Division 8 of Circuit Court, where friends and colleagues remembered him as a soft spoken, courteous and always on top of the law.
"I never heard a cross word form Judge O'Hearn in 50 years", said lawyer William Walsh, a longtime friend. "He was very thorough and hardworking. He also had a grand Irish sense of humor."
Mr. O'Hearn, an avid horseback rider, was a member of the Serra Club, The American Bar Association, the Tennessee Bar Association and the Memphis Bar Association. He also was an amateur boxer.
He was an officer of the Military Order of the World Wars and served as a Major during World War II.
Mr. O'Hearn also was a former assistant district attorney and worked as a part-time city attorney before winning his first of three eight year terms in 1966.
"He was universally liked and respected by everyone in the Memphis Legal Community," said lawyer Charles Newman, President of the Memphis Bar Association. "He was able in a way that's rare to keep complete control of his court, perform his duties as a judge and stay on top of the law while retaining the admiration and affections of all the lawyers in his court. It's another great loss for the legal community."
Longtime Memphis lawyers and community activists, Walter P. Armstrong, Jr. and Lucius Burch Jr. also died this month.
Circuit Court Clerk's Office Manager Thad Lee, one of Mr. O'Hearns former court clerks, died last month during a church league basketball game.
After Mr. O'Hearn retired in 1990, a group of lawyers and judges dedicated a portrait of him in a ceremony in his old courtroom.
Mass will be said for Mr. O'Hearn at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at St. Anne Catholic Church on Highland, where he was a communicant. Burial will be in Calvary. Canale Funeral Directors has charge.
Mr. O'Hearn, the widower of Mary Ann Turley O'Hearn, leaves a daughter, Mary Ann O'Hearn Sawyer and a brother, John J. O'Hearn, both of Memphis, and three grandchildren.
The family requests any memorials be sent to MIFA, Catholic Charities of Memphis or a charity of the donor's choice.
The Commercial Appeal, March 22, 1996
Mr. O'Hearn presided for 24 years over Division 8 of Circuit Court, where friends and colleagues remembered him as a soft spoken, courteous and always on top of the law.
"I never heard a cross word form Judge O'Hearn in 50 years", said lawyer William Walsh, a longtime friend. "He was very thorough and hardworking. He also had a grand Irish sense of humor."
Mr. O'Hearn, an avid horseback rider, was a member of the Serra Club, The American Bar Association, the Tennessee Bar Association and the Memphis Bar Association. He also was an amateur boxer.
He was an officer of the Military Order of the World Wars and served as a Major during World War II.
Mr. O'Hearn also was a former assistant district attorney and worked as a part-time city attorney before winning his first of three eight year terms in 1966.
"He was universally liked and respected by everyone in the Memphis Legal Community," said lawyer Charles Newman, President of the Memphis Bar Association. "He was able in a way that's rare to keep complete control of his court, perform his duties as a judge and stay on top of the law while retaining the admiration and affections of all the lawyers in his court. It's another great loss for the legal community."
Longtime Memphis lawyers and community activists, Walter P. Armstrong, Jr. and Lucius Burch Jr. also died this month.
Circuit Court Clerk's Office Manager Thad Lee, one of Mr. O'Hearns former court clerks, died last month during a church league basketball game.
After Mr. O'Hearn retired in 1990, a group of lawyers and judges dedicated a portrait of him in a ceremony in his old courtroom.
Mass will be said for Mr. O'Hearn at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at St. Anne Catholic Church on Highland, where he was a communicant. Burial will be in Calvary. Canale Funeral Directors has charge.
Mr. O'Hearn, the widower of Mary Ann Turley O'Hearn, leaves a daughter, Mary Ann O'Hearn Sawyer and a brother, John J. O'Hearn, both of Memphis, and three grandchildren.
The family requests any memorials be sent to MIFA, Catholic Charities of Memphis or a charity of the donor's choice.
The Commercial Appeal, March 22, 1996
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