Dayton Docket
Law School In Memoriam 2023
As we reflect on this year, we want to remember those we lost from the law school family in 2023. If you know of any other law alumni who passed away this year but are not on the list, please email Jordan Burgess at jburgess1@udayton.edu.
Loren Allison '79
Loren K. Allison, 69, of Fort Wayne, passed away on Sunday, June 25, 2023. He was the proprietor of the Law Offices of Loren K. Allison. He practiced exclusively in all areas of Business, Bankruptcy, and Employment Law. He attended Wayne dale Elementary, Kekionga Junior High School and Elmhurst High School, where he was on the newspaper and lettered in football and from which he graduated in 1972. He attended Indiana University (History, Honors 1976) and Dayton Law School (1979).
Loren spoke regularly on a state-wide and local level to business executives and at personnel groups and continuing legal education sessions. He taught and conducted seminars for Indiana-Purdue University Fort Wayne, the Indiana Continuing Legal Education Forum, Ivy Tech State College, Indiana Tech and the National Business Institute. Loren was a member of various Chambers of Commerce, scholastic and Indiana State Bar committees.
He began his career as a corporate attorney with United Technologies and National Gypsum Company before becoming a partner at one of the area's largest business and employment law firms. Loren was the author of a book, Employee Selection, A Legal Perspective, published by the Society for Human Resource Management, as well as numerous articles in various journals such as Commerce Clearinghouse, The Labor Law Journal, Human Resource Magazine and the Indiana Bar Association's Res Gestae.
Obituary from Dignity Memorial
Robert DiNieri '78
Robert A. DiNieri, 70, passed away on Friday, August 25, 2023, at FF Thompson Hospital.
Bob was born in Rochester, NY, on December 26, 1952 the son of Robert and Jane Bartell DiNieri. He was a graduate of St. John Fisher College and went on to Study Law at the University of Dayton. He had a law practice in Clyde. For many years, he served as legal counsel for Clyde and Sodus. He received the Hon. Michael F. Dillon Award for legal advocacy for children. “Baboo” was an avid golfer and a member at Wayne Hills Golf Club for many years. Bob was a Communicant of St. Michael Church in Newark.
Obituary from Murphy & Sons Funeral Home
Terry Geron '80
Terry Anthony Geron, 75, passed away October 1, 2023 in Jacksonville, FL. He was born July 12, 1948 in Springfield, OH to the late Harry and Patricia (Perryman) Geron.
Terry was a Marine Corp Veteran that did two tours in Vietnam. He is a graduate of Catholic Central High School and Xavier University. He is also a graduate of University of Dayton Law School 1980. He retired in 2020.
Obituary from Dayton Daily News
David Koerner '85
David E. Koerner, age 65, of Painesville, Ohio passed away on July 29, 2023. Dave was a graduate of the University of Dayton and the University of Dayton School of Law. He was a long-time resident of Lake County, and throughout his career had been employed by both the Lake County Prosecutor's Office and the Lake County Public Defender's Office. He also served as a Magistrate in the Willoughby and Painesville Municipal Courts and the Lake County Juvenile Court. He then worked in private practice in Northeastern OH. Dave was a dedicated fan of the Cleveland Browns and the University of Notre Dame, having attended Notre Dame as an undergrad.
Karl Lemp Jr. '88
Karl Lemp Jr., age 63, of Kirkwood, Missouri departed with God for Heaven on Tuesday August 8, 2023.
Karl lived his entire life in Kirkwood, Missouri. He graduated from Kirkwood High School and then received his undergraduate degree from St. Louis University. Karl then went on to receive his Juris Doctor from Dayton University Law School. Karl was a respected member of both the Missouri and Illinois Bar Associations. Karl had his own private practice where he represented thousands of clients over the years. He loved his job with a passion, but what he enjoyed most was being able to help people.
Karl's biggest joy was spending time with friends and family. He was abundantly proud of his family and he once said to a friend that he loved them more than life itself. He was an avid traveler his entire life. He shared his passion for history and culture with everyone he encountered. He loved old movies and tv shows, the “Rockford Files,” “John Wayne” and the “Three Stooges” were a few favorites, and would rewatch them during his free time.
Karl was a true friend to so many. He always looked out for others, and he spent all his time and energy helping everyone else. He possessed a “generosity of spirit” that was so powerful.
Karl had a warm heart and always wore a huge smile. He was considerate and thoughtful as he touched countless lives and made a positive difference for those who had the privilege of knowing him. Karl left us way too soon and left a huge hole in so many people’s hearts. He will truly be missed.
William Craig Mann '79
Bill Mann, a beloved friend to many, passed away on July 10th at Kobacker House in Columbus, Ohio at the age of 69. He was surrounded by loved ones.
Bill was born in Norwalk, Ohio, the son of Abraham and Shirley (Bobbi) Mann. Bill was one of the founding members of the Norwalk Community Development Corporation, a company providing funding to promote economic growth in the Norwalk area. Among the people Bill admired the most were General George Patton, Civil Rights leaders Rosa Parks and John Lewis, Robert Kennedy and all the NASA Mercury, Gemini and Apollo astronauts.
Bill graduated Cum Laude from Case Western University in 1976 and received his J.D. in 1979 from the University of Dayton School of Law. While at UD Law, Bill was named the Best Oral Advocate in each of the four rounds of the school’s Intramural Moot Court Tournament.
After law school, Bill clerked at the Ohio Supreme Court for his mentor and life-long friend, Justice Andrew Douglas. Upon leaving the Ohio Supreme Court, he practiced law for over forty years in numerous law firms, partnerships and associations. His legal counsel was highly respected and relied upon by many.
He was a member of the Ohio State Bar Association’s Legal Ethics and Professional Conduct Committee, a member of the Supreme Court of Ohio’s Professionalism Commission and served as a Trustee on the University of Dayton Law School’s Alumni Board. Bill was a former President of the Central Ohio Association for Justice and a two-time recipient of the COAJ’s President’s award. He also received the COAJ’s Slugger’s Award, given to an attorney who hit a home run for justice. He was truly the antithesis of all lawyer jokes.
We will always remember his observations about both the law and politics. He often expressed how much he appreciated the judges that were grateful to have been elected. He said that judges who are grateful that they have been elected are much easier to appear in front of than judges who had assumed that they would be elected.
He could be found most Fall Saturday afternoons rooting for THE Ohio State University Buckeyes with friends or his German Shepherd Thor and cat Banzai.
He will be remembered for his wit, humor, intelligence, his voracious love of books, but mostly for his tremendously big heart.
Obituary from O'Shaughnessy Company Funeral Directors
Robert "Tom" Payne '81
Robert Thomas "Tom" Payne, 77, of Keyser, passed away on Friday, September 8, 2023, at Moran Manor in Westernport. Born on November 13, 1945, in Keyser, he was the son of the late Floyd E. and Margaret E. (Shockey) Payne.
From a young age, Tom was destined to achieve great things. In 1962, he was a member of the Keyser High School WV (AA) football champions and runner-up for the Ed Kelley Award. He graduated from Keyser High School, Class of 1963 and went on to Potomac State College before being drafted into the Army from 1965-1967.
After being drafted he was appointed to the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he was in the graduating class of 1971. Tom became a Commissioned Officer until 1976 holding numerous titles: such as Infantry Line Officer, Airborne, Jumpmaster, Ranger and Special Forces and Judge Advocate General Officer.
During that time he received the Army Commendation Medal in recognition of the services of the Team Executive, Training Officer and an Army Government Contract Attorney Team. He continued his service in the United States Army Reserve from 1976-1993 as a Commissioned Officer and later as a Government Contract Attorney, Team Executive and Training Officer.
In his quest for excellence, he went on to further his education at the University Of Dayton School Of Business, earning his Juris Doctor degree from the University Of Dayton School Of Law in 1981. All while working as a Manufacturing Manager for General Motors Corporation.
Throughout his career, he worked with numerous law firms, including Cummings & Lockwood, Dugan & Dugan, and Schmeiser, Olsen & Watts, LLP. For more than the last decade, Tom was a partner with The Chisholm Group, a Government Relations Firm based in Washington, D.C. In addition, he worked as a Patent Counsel and Intellectual Property Attorney, with various prestigious companies such as Deere & Company, General Electric Company and Cuno, Inc. Tom Payne was a Candidate for Congress, 2nd District of West Virginia, 2016, and 1st District of West Virginia, 2018 and 2020.
In addition to his extensive education and business adventures, Tom was a proud member of the Democratic Party both at West Virginia State and National levels. He was active in the Army and Navy Club of Washington, D.C., as well as the West Point Alumni Association of Washington, D.C., Connecticut, Ohio, and West Virginia.
He was a faithful member of the Calvary United Methodist Church in Keyser. He was also an active member of the America Bar Association and several ABA affiliated organizations including AIPLA.
Tom was also involved in numerous charitable organizations throughout his life including the American Red Cross, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, and several Non-profit organizations that focus on active duty members and their families as they transition to civilian life.
He was a kindhearted friend to many and a loving and devoted brother to his sister, "Cookie". He was an avid and talented golfer and enjoyed the Annual West Point Alumni Golf Tournaments. He will dearly be missed by his family and friends.
Obituary from Cumberland Times-News
David White '86
David Richard White, 64, of Summerville, South Carolina, passed away August 13, 2023, peacefully after a long battle with kidney failure. David held a B.A. in History from Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, a J.D. from the University of Dayton Law School, Dayton, Ohio and a Master of Laws (Government Contracts) from the George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C.
Since 2017, David was an Associate Counsel at Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic (NIWC Atlantic) in Charleston, SC. He primarily practiced in the areas of Acquisition Law, with an emphasis on FAR Part 15 and non-Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) procurements. Prior to that, he served for 10 years as an attorney at the Army’s Communications-Electronics Command and from 1999-2001, he worked as an attorney with the United States’ Army Corp of Engineers, Baltimore District. David was a well published and well respected acquisition lawyer whose clients praised him for his sincerity, competence, and ability provide them prompt legal advice.