As Geauga County mourns the unexpected death of Forrest Burt Sept. 4 to lung cancer, friends, co-workers and his wife, Jane, shared their fond recollections of the former Geauga County Court of Common Pleas judge in emails and phone calls last week.
As Geauga County mourns the unexpected death of Forrest Burt Sept. 4 to lung cancer, friends, co-workers and his wife, Jane, shared their fond recollections of the former Geauga County Court of Common Pleas judge in emails and phone calls last week.
Jane, married 56 years to Forrest, said his sense of humor was top of mind and heart as she made funeral arrangements and adjusted to his physical absence.
“What still impresses me is we were married for 56 years and he still could make me laugh every day,” she said, adding she thought humor was his shield against the seriousness and importance of his judicial duties.
“He used humor all the time — at work, at home, with his family,” she said.
Their children and grandchildren, who had strong bonds with Forrest, are sad at his passing, she said.
“But, they also have such fond memories from a lot of family vacations. We went to the beach for many, many years. He really enjoyed those times,” she recalled, noting their vacations took them to Emerald Isle, N.C.
Even after his retirement in 2018, the judge couldn’t abandon the bench entirely. He sat in for judges who, for one reason or another, were unable to adjudicate a case.
Former county Common Pleas Judge David Fuhry, who’s time on the bench coincided with Forrest’s, said their careers ran parallel to each other for many years and they were good friends.
“He was personable, fun and upheld the rules of court,” Fuhry said. “He was a great student of the law, had great respect for the law.”
Besides adhering strictly to the rules of evidence and conduct in court, Forrest was intelligent and ethical, Fuhry said.
“He was just a kind person. He was smart, but didn’t show off. There was no bluster,” he said. “Everything about him was good. He left a great legacy — a model future judges can emulate.”
With a chuckle, Fuhry recalled discussions he and Forrest had about the wisdom of buying computers and their eventual purchases some years ago.
“Burt and I had some hard cases together,” Fuhry said, adding Forrest worked hard to ensure the justice system was fair in his courtroom.
“In our decades together, we never had a hard word between us,” he said.
The suddenness of Forrest’s demise was a shock to many.
Fuhry said he’d only just heard his friend was in hospice and two days later, Forrest passed away.
“It’s very hard to take,” Fuhry said.
Chardon Municipal Court Judge Terri Stupica had just moved to Chester Township in 1994 when Forrest came knocking at her front door while campaigning.
“He taught me to go door-to-door, meet as many people as I could,” she said.
Forrest mentored Stupica during her career and they became friends over the years.
“He always called me ‘kid,” she said. “And he gave me constructive criticism, whether I asked for it or not.”
For years, he would tease her about being a judge in a “lower” court until, after he retired, he sat on her bench one day.
“Forrest said, ‘I owe you an apology — you really have a busy court,’” she recalled, adding he went on to say her staff was full of a lot of “worker bees.”
Although she didn’t see him in his courtroom often, his reputation was legend, she said.
“He was just such a great, great presence. Attorneys feared him,” Stupica said, recalling the day an attorney’s cell phone went off during court and was immediately appropriated by the judge.
Forrest was always helpful, sharing his deep understanding of the law with those who came to him, she said.
“He was a gentle giant and had a wealth of knowledge,” Stupica said. “He was a great, great jurist. I miss him already.”
Diane Ryder, wife of the late Ed Ryder, considered the Burts longtime friends.
“Ed and I have known Forrest since our earliest days in Geauga County, in the early 1980s,” she recalled. “We immediately knew he was the go-to expert on all things regarding local law and government. He was gruff and charming at the same time.”
Diane, as a local journalist, and Ed, who was director of the Geauga County Board of Elections, knew both sides of Burt and valued his friendship.
“The last time I saw Forrest was on June 29 at Ed’s funeral at St. Helen’s, when he donned a judicial robe with other judges and formed an honor guard to escort Ed’s body into the church. I am usually pretty stoic, but when I saw Forrest leading such a touching tribute, my face started leaking,” Diane said. “The Hon. Forrest Burt was one of the giants of Geauga County. God be with Jane and the family, and God bless his memory.”
Geauga County Auditor Chuck Walder valued Forrest’s friendship, which began as the judge retired and Walder took office.
“As a new county auditor, I had the pleasure of working with Judge Burt during the last year of his tenure as Geauga Common Pleas Court judge. Our relationship developed into friendship after his retirement and I will remember and forever cherish his counsel, humor and support,” Walder said. “My thoughts and prayers are with his family in this time of grieving.”
Geauga County Sheriff Scott Hildenbrand recalled his longtime connection to Forrest.
“I have known and worked with Judge Burt for over 40 years, while he was an assistant county prosecutor to when he became a respected judge of the common pleas court,” Hildenbrand said. “In the courtroom, he was very fair and understanding. Outside the courtroom, he had a great sense of humor. I will sincerely miss him and I am proud to have known him and worked with him. May God rest his soul.”
