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Justice Blease Obituary
October 23, 1929 - November 28, 2022
Sacramento , California - Justice Coleman Blease died Monday November, 28, 2022. He is survived by his sons Brian and Christopher and their families. Married for 61 years, and widowed March of 2021, he spent his life in love with his wife Barbara, hiking the Sierras, and studying language and the law. We cannot hope to say it better than our father did in his retirement letter to the court just this year in June when he wrote:
"I have had an extraordinarily lucky life.
It has been dominated by two great loves. The first, of course, is my wife Barbara. We fell instantly in love when I met her. We agreed to marry a week after and our romance continued for 61 years until her death last year at age 90.
My second great love is the law. It began when, in my third year as a student in Electrical Engineering at UC Berkeley, I chanced upon an elective course in constitutional law that changed my life." He closes by writing, "I will miss the court but not as much as Barbara for whom I grieve every day."
Cole
We will miss you to dad.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for Justice Blease
Bob Holmes
August 18, 2025
A wonderful man. I was privileged to have been my lawyer. I´m very thankful to have met him
I´m sad to learn of his passing
Quyen Ta
April 13, 2024
Those of us who were lucky enough to have clerked for Judge Karlton were always lucky enough to see Justice Blease at least once a year at LKK´s birthdays. He and his wife Barbara always came and graced us with their kindness and humor. They will both be missed.
Joseph Mascovich
December 21, 2022
I always enjoyed appearing before Justice Blease at oral argument and interacting with him at the Inn of Court. I still remember him referring to a pleading as a "word salad," the first time I heard that phrase used.
His presence and contributions will be missed.
Joe Mascovich
Michael Pruden
December 18, 2022
I always enjoyed and felt privileged to work as a judicial attorney at the Third District with Justice Blease. I will miss his smile and his great intellect.
Definitely a towering legal scholar and a compassionate jurist who made me think and was a better person as a result
kirby lindsay
December 12, 2022
My condolences at this time. Cole and his partner, Larry Karlton, worked as my defense attorneys during a draft card burning trial in 1969. I have great memories of an excellent defense team from that era.
Rod Davis
December 11, 2022
Dear Brian and Christopher: Such a fitting tribute to your dad. So much more could be said, but this is so true to his modest nature. He would have loved it. Rod Davis, retired justice.
John Mounier
December 11, 2022
Concerned, committed, caring, charming - a great clear minded justice has left us.
John Mounier
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