Richard L. Sanders

1951 - 2024

News story
By Mark Zaborney
Blade Staff Writer

Richard L. Sanders, who served as an attorney for criminal defendants after setting aside a sales career to study law, died Feb. 18 in his Springfield Township home. He was 72.

He'd had heart problems, his wife, Debi Sanders, said.

Mr. Sanders, who was best known as Rick, had cut back on his private practice, also focused on criminal defense work. But he continued to work for the Lucas County Public Defender's office.

"He loved doing it," Mrs. Sanders said. "He really enjoyed being in court, and he liked that back and forth and defending his clients."

Mr. Sanders, admitted to the Ohio Bar in November, 1981, had been an intern in the public defender's office as a University of Toledo law student.

Whether his clients were charged with theft and other property offenses or crimes that gained them notoriety, he "represented them to the best of his abilities and tried to get a fair deal for them," Mrs. Sanders said.

"He had a good reputation, and the judges knew him and knew if he vouched for somebody, it was true," she said. "He valued all the relationships he built with the other attorneys and law enforcement and judges."

Mr. Sanders called Toledo Municipal Court "the people's court," said Byron Choka, a friend since they were in law school.

"He always cared for the underdog and thought everyone deserved fairness from our justice system. He believed they were entitled to their day in court," said Mr. Choka, a partner in the firm Spengler Nathanson. "He was quick on his feet and understood the process the client was going through. He was good at cross examination and could pick out the flaws in a prosecutor's case, even if there were a limited number of flaws."

Mrs. Sanders said: "And he was the kind of person juries would like. He came across as a real person, very caring and very real."

He'd tell Andy Jamieson, a friend of 40 years, "'Sometimes these guys get in trouble, because they're not thinking. I try to give them a chance,'" Mr. Jamieson recalled. "He felt good about it."

"He was one of those guys who had a big heart," Mr. Jamieson said.

Mr. Sanders and his wife met at BGSU, where he'd majored in business, and afterward they moved to Tampa, where he was hired by Penn Mutual Life Insurance.

"He'd always been very personable and easy going," Mrs. Sanders said. "He just got along with people. They saw that and figured he would be a good representative for them."

They moved to Indianapolis for a year and then to Columbus, where as an Oscar Mayer food sales representative he called on restaurants and hotels across southern Ohio and West Virginia. Discussions with a good friend who was a lawyer sparked his interest in law school, and the Sanders moved to Toledo after he was accepted to law school.

He was born June 21, 1951, in Elmira, N.Y., to Nancy and Paul Sanders. The family moved to Fairview Park, Ohio, after his father was transferred to Cleveland by his employer, International Harvester.

He was a graduate of Fairview Park High School, where he played basketball and received first-team all-conference honors his senior year. He was a former president of Theta Chi fraternity at BGSU.

He enjoyed golfing with friends, across the Toledo area and in northern Lower Michigan, although he curtailed his play in recent years after coronary bypass surgery.

Throughout his law career, he made a point of being part of his children's activities, whether as a coach or sitting in the stands or the audience.

"He said, 'I don't want to miss their lives,'" Mrs. Sanders said.

Surviving are his wife, the former Debra Keating, whom he married April 27, 1974; daughter, Taylor Sanders Johnston; sons Zachary Paul Sanders and Maxwell Thomas Sanders; sister, Marcia Sanders Harvey, and two grandchildren.

Visitation will be from 3-7 p.m. at the Walker Funeral Home, Sylvania Township. A funeral Mass will begin at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at St. Joan of Arc Church, where he was a member.

The family suggests tributes to the Adult Cardiology Fund at ProMedica Toledo Hospital or St. Joan of Arc Church.