Alan Travis

Judge Alan Craig Travis, age 76, of Dublin, OH, Thursday, January 5, 2017. Alan Craig Travis was born in Englewood, New Jersey on March 21, 1940, the second child of Ozwalt and Mildred Travis, lived in Bergenfield, NJ until the age of 10 when his family moved to Westerville, Ohio; he has been a Buckeye ever since. He died peacefully at Kobacker House surrounded by his loving family, on January 5, 2017. Alan Travis was a retired Ohio trial and appellate court judge. He served for over thirteen years on the Franklin County Common Pleas Court and on the Ohio Court of Appeals for the Tenth Appellate District from 2005 until retirement in 2007. He also served as a trial judge on the Ohio Court of Claims. Alan Travis has practiced law for the past fifty years, and is a former member of the Ohio Board of Bar Examiners of the Ohio Supreme Court. He graduated from Westerville High School in 1958, earned a degree in Economics from Muskingum University in 1962 and a Juris Doctorate degree from The Ohio State University College of Law in 1965. Upon admission to the Bar, he served as an Assistant Ohio Attorney General both as trial and appellate counsel and as liaison to the Ohio Crime Commission. He was in private practice from 1968 until 1974 when he was named Chief Counsel of the Appellate Division of the Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. During that time, he handled over one thousand cases before Ohio and federal appeals courts, the Ohio Supreme Court and the United States Supreme Court. He litigated over 35 cases in the United States Supreme Court including two cases in which he presented oral argument to the court. In 1992, Alan Travis was appointed to the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas. While serving as a common pleas judge, in every biennial judicial performance poll conducted by the Columbus Bar Association, Judge Travis consistently received the highest level of judicial performance awarded to any judge on the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, the Franklin County Municipal Court and the Franklin County Court of Appeals. Alan Travis was a member of the Columbus and Ohio State Bar Associations and a former member of the Ohio Board of Bar Examiners, the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association and the National District Attorneys Association. He was sitting as a retired, visiting judge by assignment of the Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court at the time of his death. Alan will be remembered for his wisdom and wit, being highly principled, having the utmost character, honesty and integrity, and held a genuine respect for everyone he encountered. He had a compassionate sensitivity and a deep, deep heart for all. He had a romantic soul, love of the arts and music, and was deeply moved by a pretty Gershwin Melody or a lovely sculpture or painting. He was also the consummate wordsmith who could both write legal briefs and poetry, and was an avid reader. His main priority in his life was spending time with his loving family and he was especially proud of his two grandsons. Alan is survived by his loving wife of over 54 years, Fiona Henderson Travis of Dublin, OH; sons, Todd Alan Travis and wife, Anita of Upper Arlington, OH, Craig Steven Travis and wife, Heather of Hilliard, OH; grandsons, Nathan Craig Travis and Clayton Joseph Travis; sisters, Madlon Travis Laster and husband, James of Winchester, VA, Lynn Thompson Scheiderer and husband, Ed, of Columbus, OH; brother-in-law, Donald Findlay Henderson of Austin, TX; nephew, James Travis Laster, and wife, Rebecca, of Delaware. He is also survived by great niece and nephews, Helen Grace Laster, Wells Hayden Laster and Jamie Adeline Laster. There will be a memorial service held at FIRST COMMUNITY CHURCH, 1320 Cambridge Blvd, Columbus, OH, 43212 on Saturday, January 14, 2017 at 1 p.m. Family will receive guests beginning at 12 p.m. prior in Brownlee Hall. There will be a Celebration of Life immediately following at The Longaberger Alumni House, 2200 Olentangy River Road, Columbus OH 43210. Donations can be made in his name to The Dublin Arts Council, The Columbus Jazz Arts Group, Franklin Park Conservatory, or charity of choice  . Online condolences available at www.shaw-davis.com.