Judge Herbert M. Klein

KLEIN, JUDGE HERBERT M., of Miami and Hollywood passed on August 30th after 88 years. With his humor, wisdom, grace, and boundless generosity, he enriched the lives of his daughters, Julie and Susan Klein, his lifelong love, Ene Benjamin, his step-children, Susan, Robin, and Lawrence, and his sixteen grandchildren. During his tenure as Associate Chief Judge of the Miami-Dade Circuit Court, he helped design the first drug court in America in 1988, which offered drug offenders the option of treatment rather than jail time. Helping people heal instead of punishing them, Judge Klein wrote, was "the right thing to do," a fact now recognized in all fifty states, where the program has been successfully implemented. Judge Klein believed a life well lived was one spent helping those around him, and he never cared who got the credit. It was with this humility that he gave to his loved ones, every day of his life, with a chuckle and the kindest heart that will be so dearly missed. Funeral services Sunday, September 2nd, 12:30 at Mt. Nebo/Kendall Gardens, 5900 SW 77 Ave, Miami FL 33143.