David W. Fais, who served for 26 years on the Franklin County Common Pleas bench before an age-limit for judges forced his retirement in 2015, died Saturday morning.
Fais, 78, recently had been released from a Columbus hospital, where he was treated for breathing problems, said Ron Janes, a close friend who graduated from Ohio Northern University s law school with the former judge. It s a shock, said Janes, who praised Fais for his compassion as a judge. He made everyone feel comfortable in his courtroom, he said. We don t have enough people like him on the bench, and I don t know that we ever will.