Ohio Supreme Court Justice Francis E. Sweeney Sr. Dies at 77

Funeral Mass for the late Ohio Supreme Court Justice Francis E. Sweeney Sr., who died April 10 at age 77, will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Thursday, April 14, at , 1212 Bunts Road.

 Calling hours are 2-9 p.m. Wednesday, April 13, at , 14133 Detroit Ave.

 The Lakewood resident served on the Supreme Court of Ohio from 1992 until retiring at the end of 2004 after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70.

He previously served for four years on Ohio’s Eighth District Court of Appeals and 18 years as a Cuyahoga County Common Pleas judge.

Sweeney, a Cleveland native, graduated in 1952 from St. Ignatius High School, where he played football. He continued his education at Xavier University in Cincinnati, where he received a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1956.

After that, he played professional football as a tackle with the Ottawa Rough Riders in the Canadian Football league. He was drafted by the Army in 1957, was stationed at Fort Knox, Ky., then returned to the Rough Riders briefly in 1958.

Upon returning to Cleveland, Sweeney worked in the Allstate Insurance Co.’s legal department and took classes at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. After graduating and passing the bar exam in 1963, he became an assistant prosecuting attorney for Cuyahoga County.

He became a judge in 1970.

Sweeney received numerous honors over the years. He was inducted into St. Ignatius High School’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001 and received the Cardinal Bellarmine Award for Legal Excellence from the school in 1994.

He was named Xavier University’s Alumnus of the Year for 1977 and Cleveland-Marshall’s Outstanding Alumnus of 2000. He received Xavier’s Legion of Honor in 1956.

Survivors include his wife, Lee (nee Yesbak); children, Susan Ryan, Francis “Skip” Jr. and John Joyce; six grandchildren; and siblings, Mary and Margaret Kleinpell.

Donations may be made to St. Ignatius High School, 1911 West 30th St., Cleveland, OH 44113.