Lillian M. KERN

1931 - 2015

News Death Notice

KERN, Lillian M. Passed away on Tuesday, May 19, 2015, after a long struggle with dementia. Born in the Bronx, New York, September 9, 1931, she was a resident of Oakwood. She was preceded in death by her Irish immigrant parents, Martin and Lillian Murphy, and is survived by her husband of 58 years, Thomas W. Kern. She received her A.B. Degree, cum laude, from the University of Miami, Florida, and her J.D. Degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Law. After teaching for three years in Miami she entered the United States Navy. Completing Officer Candidate School, she served as personnel officer for the Ninth Naval District, a 13-state area, headquartered at Great Lakes, Illinois, and was subsequently transferred to the United States Naval War College at Newport, Rhode Island, as an assistant to the Director of the Research and Analysis Department. After release from active duty she returned to teaching for three years in Arlington, Virginia, and entered law school at George Washington University, Washington D.C. Moving with her husband to Dayton, she taught in Mad River Township schools and resumed the study of law. She was employed for ten years as Assistant Prosecuting Attorney of Montgomery County, Ohio, and Chief of the Civil Division with principal responsibility as legal advisor to the Board of County Commissioners of Montgomery County. She was the first woman to be elected to the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas, serving as judge of the Domestic Relations Court for twelve years. Throughout her career, Judge Kern conducted herself with the highest traditions of American jurisprudence and continually displayed honesty, integrity and an unwavering dedication to the legal profession. Always active in the community, she was past president of the Greater Dayton Jaycee Wives Club, the Kidney Foundation of the Miami Valley and Oakwood Sister Cities Association. She served as a board member for the Buckeye Trails Girl Scout Council, Altrusa Club of Dayton, Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra Association and the Opera Guild of Dayton. She was a member of the American Bar Association, Ohio Bar Association, Dayton Bar Association, the American Association of Women Judges, Association of Women Executives and Dayton's Women's Network. She also volunteered at Dayton Children's Hospital and the Dayton Art Institute. Honors include her listing in Who's Who of American Women, Who's Who in American Law and Who's Who in the Midwest. She was the recipient of the "304" award from the Big Brothers and Big Sisters honoring outstanding Ohioans, recipient of the Superior Service Award from the Supreme Court for four years, and was recognized by The Dayton Daily News as one of the Top Ten Women. Visitation will be Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, 4600 Ackerman Boulevard, with a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:30 a.m. Interment will be at the Dayton National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, 31 West Whipp Road, Dayton, Ohio 45459 or to a charity of your choice. TOBIAS FUNERAL HOME-FAR HILLS CHAPEL, in care of arrangements. Online condolences may be sent to www.tobiasfuneralhome.com