Joseph Matthew Mancini

Joseph Matthew Mancini, age 88, passed away on December 3, 2022. Joe was born on June 8, 1934, in Cleveland Heights, OH to the late Matteo and Francis (Valle) Mancini. Joe graduated from Shaw High School in Cleveland where he was a catcher on the baseball team and the school’s DJ. In 1958, he graduated from Western Reserve University and received the scholastic honor of Phi Beta Kappa. Upon graduation, he moved to San Francisco where he worked for the American Arbitration Association. This led to Joe’s interest in a legal profession and his return to Ohio to attend Western Reserve Law School. He graduated in 1966, having served as president of the Student Bar Association and receiving honors of the Order of the Coif and the Spangenberg Torts Award.

Joe began his practice of law in Cleveland in the private sector from 1966 – 1984. He moved to Columbus, OH and joined the Ohio Attorney General’s office. He initially served in the Federal Litigation Section 1984 – 1988 and then moved to the Health, Education and Human Services Section where he helped establish the Health Insurance and Information Program (HIIP) for senior citizens. In 1992, Joe moved to the Corrections Litigation Section where he defended inmate civil rights cases related to conditions of confinement. In 1995, under an agreement with the Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections, he handled all their complex litigation cases. The primary focus of these class actions were physical plant safety issues, the delivery of mental health and medical services and classification of inmates assigned to the supermax facility. He retired from the AG’s office in September 2008 where the Joseph M. Mancini Award was established in his honor. In retirement, he learned how to use the computer and then became engrossed in following financial issues and trends. He was a consummate student with an inquisitive mind, saying that if he could have gone to school forever, he would have. Joe will be remembered for his devotion and dedication to his family, his love of the law and justice, the Wall Street Journal which he read cover to cover and his trusty #2 pencils that he used to mark up everything he read.

Joe is predeceased by his parents, his brother Anthony and his first wife Carmel. Joe leaves behind his wife of 23 years, Terry Kennedy Mancini, Upper Arlington, OH; brother-in-law, James (JK) Kennedy, Memphis, TN; stepchildren: Linda (Alan) Gates, Phoenix, AZ; Diane (Barry) Powell, Glendale, AZ; Joe Colecchio, Arizona City, AZ; Michael (Courtney) Andrews, Lexington, KY and grandchildren: Skylar (Courtney) Versage, New York, NY; Nicholas Colecchio, Phoenix, AZ; and Zachary and Finley Andrews, Lexington, KY.

A memorial service will be held at 11 A.M. Friday, January 6, 2023 at Covenant Presbyterian Church, 2070 Ridgecliff Rd.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Hospice of Central Ohio, Covenant Presbyterian Church, or a charity of your choice.