Richard David Weber
Richard David Weber (“Dick”) of Bloomfield Hills, passed away on June 24, at the age of 87 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s. He died peacefully in the embrace of his loving wife of 56 years, Mary Ellen Weber, and their five children.
Weber was born in Detroit, Michigan, on January 4, 1938, to the late Paul and Ramona Weber. The young family soon moved to Lansing, where Paul served in the administration of Governor G. Mennen Williams. Dick graduated in 1956 from Lansing Resurrection High School (now Lansing Catholic Central), where he was a top student and a star athlete. He captained both the basketball and football teams and was especially proud of winning the city championship in basketball during his senior year. Weber continued his basketball and scholarly pursuits at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, where he earned four varsity letters, and the Joseph Baker Student Athlete Award before graduating in 1960.
Shortly after graduation, Weber enrolled in law school and received his law degree from Wayne State University Law School in1963. It was during law school that he met his first love, Donna Marie Maher. They were married in 1962 and were blessed with three children. Tragically, Donna died unexpectedly in the summer of 1966.
Everything changed a few years later when he met the love of his life, Mary Ellen Kotcher. They were married on June 21, 1969, at St. Paul’s in Grosse Pointe. They were blessed with two additional children which made their family complete.
Weber spent his entire 42-year legal career at the Detroit law firm that eventually bore his name: Kerr, Russell, & Weber. For the last 20 years of his career, he served as the firm’s managing partner. He was an experienced and skilled litigator, with a focus on commercial and professional liability. He represented a broad variety of clients, including companies operating in the manufacturing,
technology, and construction industries, along with medical, dental, and engineering professionals.
Weber served as General Counsel to the Michigan State Medical Society and the Michigan Dental Association for many years. He authored numerous articles in legal publications and was instrumental in drafting several of the medical tort laws in Michigan that remain today. He also took great pride representing the Michigan Catholic Conference for decades.
Weber was passionate about fly fishing for wild trout and hunting big game in beautiful places. He loved recounting adventurous tales of moose hunting in Canada, elk hunting in Montana, and catching giant tarpon in Boca Grande, Florida. He treasured spending time with his family at Windigo, the family hunting and fishing camp built by his father in northern Michigan many years ago. His favorite of all was dry fly fishing for big browns on the Rifle and AuSable Rivers with his dad, brothers, sons and grandsons.
Weber is survived by his beloved wife of 56 years, Mary Ellen Weber; his five children: Stephanie Walbridge (Jay), Rich Weber (Mary), Craig Weber (Sue), Katie Walther (Pete), and Mike Weber (Kristen); his dear sister, Susan Chrysler (Bob); his sisters-in-law: Mary Weber, Dorothy Wasinger (Steve), Ann Carolan (Terry), and Deanna Maher; his brother-in-law, Chuck Kotcher;seventeen grandchildren: Joe Walbridge, Sarah Naylor, Jake Walbridge, Elizabeth Weber, Margaret Barbier, Caroline Weber, Annie Walbridge Riccio, Kurt Weber, Janie Weber, John Paul Weber, Grace Walther, Charlie Weber, Megan Walther, Allyson Weber, Mac Walther, Chloe Weber, and Tess Weber; and one great-grandchild, Charlotte Walbridge. In addition to his first wife, Donna Maher Weber, he was predeceased by his parents, Paul and Ramona Weber, and his brothers, Jack and Paul Weber.
Funeral mass will take place Monday, June 30, 11 a.m. at St. Hugo of the Hills Stone Chapel in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Visitation at church begins 10 a.m. Funeral arrangements are being coordinated by A.J. Desmond & Sons Funeral Directors.
In lieu of flowers, donations to Gigi’s Playhouse Detroit, gigisplayhouse.org/detroit, are suggested.
Weber was born in Detroit, Michigan, on January 4, 1938, to the late Paul and Ramona Weber. The young family soon moved to Lansing, where Paul served in the administration of Governor G. Mennen Williams. Dick graduated in 1956 from Lansing Resurrection High School (now Lansing Catholic Central), where he was a top student and a star athlete. He captained both the basketball and football teams and was especially proud of winning the city championship in basketball during his senior year. Weber continued his basketball and scholarly pursuits at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, where he earned four varsity letters, and the Joseph Baker Student Athlete Award before graduating in 1960.
Shortly after graduation, Weber enrolled in law school and received his law degree from Wayne State University Law School in1963. It was during law school that he met his first love, Donna Marie Maher. They were married in 1962 and were blessed with three children. Tragically, Donna died unexpectedly in the summer of 1966.
Everything changed a few years later when he met the love of his life, Mary Ellen Kotcher. They were married on June 21, 1969, at St. Paul’s in Grosse Pointe. They were blessed with two additional children which made their family complete.
Weber spent his entire 42-year legal career at the Detroit law firm that eventually bore his name: Kerr, Russell, & Weber. For the last 20 years of his career, he served as the firm’s managing partner. He was an experienced and skilled litigator, with a focus on commercial and professional liability. He represented a broad variety of clients, including companies operating in the manufacturing,
technology, and construction industries, along with medical, dental, and engineering professionals.
Weber served as General Counsel to the Michigan State Medical Society and the Michigan Dental Association for many years. He authored numerous articles in legal publications and was instrumental in drafting several of the medical tort laws in Michigan that remain today. He also took great pride representing the Michigan Catholic Conference for decades.
Weber was passionate about fly fishing for wild trout and hunting big game in beautiful places. He loved recounting adventurous tales of moose hunting in Canada, elk hunting in Montana, and catching giant tarpon in Boca Grande, Florida. He treasured spending time with his family at Windigo, the family hunting and fishing camp built by his father in northern Michigan many years ago. His favorite of all was dry fly fishing for big browns on the Rifle and AuSable Rivers with his dad, brothers, sons and grandsons.
Weber is survived by his beloved wife of 56 years, Mary Ellen Weber; his five children: Stephanie Walbridge (Jay), Rich Weber (Mary), Craig Weber (Sue), Katie Walther (Pete), and Mike Weber (Kristen); his dear sister, Susan Chrysler (Bob); his sisters-in-law: Mary Weber, Dorothy Wasinger (Steve), Ann Carolan (Terry), and Deanna Maher; his brother-in-law, Chuck Kotcher;seventeen grandchildren: Joe Walbridge, Sarah Naylor, Jake Walbridge, Elizabeth Weber, Margaret Barbier, Caroline Weber, Annie Walbridge Riccio, Kurt Weber, Janie Weber, John Paul Weber, Grace Walther, Charlie Weber, Megan Walther, Allyson Weber, Mac Walther, Chloe Weber, and Tess Weber; and one great-grandchild, Charlotte Walbridge. In addition to his first wife, Donna Maher Weber, he was predeceased by his parents, Paul and Ramona Weber, and his brothers, Jack and Paul Weber.
Funeral mass will take place Monday, June 30, 11 a.m. at St. Hugo of the Hills Stone Chapel in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Visitation at church begins 10 a.m. Funeral arrangements are being coordinated by A.J. Desmond & Sons Funeral Directors.
In lieu of flowers, donations to Gigi’s Playhouse Detroit, gigisplayhouse.org/detroit, are suggested.
Owen James Cummings
Owen J. Cummings passed away on June 24 at the age of 91. Cummings was the founder of the law firm of Cummings, McClorey, Davis, & Acho PLC.
After graduating from Detroit College of Law, Cummings became a solo practitioner at Owen J. Cummings, Attorney at Law in 1964. At that time, his law office was located on Five Mile Road in Livonia.
As the firm steadily added more attorneys and support staff, the practice moved to a large three-level building built on the northwest corner of Schoolcraft and Stark in Livonia in the 1970s. Over time, CMDA grew to become the largest law firm in western Wayne County.
The firm’s Livonia office continued to grow and relocated to its current location on College Parkway in Livonia in 2017. Cummings reluctantly agreed that relocating to the firm’s present location was the correct business decision, although it was not easy for him to walk away from a building where he had proudly served thousands of clients for many decades. The move was a bit easier on him when he realized his new office had the best view of Schoolcraft College’s campus. Cummings was a generous donor to the college and always very proud of the college’s accomplishments.
One of the firm’s numerous accomplishments is the formation of Michigan Municipal Risk Management Authority (MMRMA). In 1980, Cummings and Bernard McClorey, a grade school friend and co-founder of the firm, created an organization that joined local governmental entities together to secure insurance coverage that promised stability of premium and far-reaching protection. MMRMA started with three Michigan municipalities. Today, MMRMA is the largest liability and property public entity risk pool in Michigan with more than 400 members.
Ronald Acho, co-founder and equity partner of the firm, shared his thoughts on Cummings, who he, and many others, affectionately referred to as OJ. “When I met OJ as a young man, little did I know that he would be my mentor and friend for over 50 years,” said Acho. “He had such an outstanding reputation with judges and clients that I became the beneficiary of that reputation. At times it was funny because he would ask me to handle a client matter for him, and his clients would ask ‘Can I have Owen instead?’ Nonetheless, he was the heart, soul, and consciousness of the firm. Rarely in the legal profession do we find people as great as OJ.”
Cummings retired from practicing law several years ago and greatly enjoyed spending his retirement years with the people he cherished most: his children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and his loving wife of 68 years, Ruth.
Visitation will be held on Sunday, June 29, at 2 p.m. at Harry J. Will Funeral Home, 37000 W Six Mile Road in Livonia. A scripture service will be held at 7 p.m.
Funeral in state will be held on Monday, June 30, at 10 a.m. at St. Edith Church, 15089 Newburgh Rd. in Livonia. The funeral mass will be held at 11 a.m.
After graduating from Detroit College of Law, Cummings became a solo practitioner at Owen J. Cummings, Attorney at Law in 1964. At that time, his law office was located on Five Mile Road in Livonia.
As the firm steadily added more attorneys and support staff, the practice moved to a large three-level building built on the northwest corner of Schoolcraft and Stark in Livonia in the 1970s. Over time, CMDA grew to become the largest law firm in western Wayne County.
The firm’s Livonia office continued to grow and relocated to its current location on College Parkway in Livonia in 2017. Cummings reluctantly agreed that relocating to the firm’s present location was the correct business decision, although it was not easy for him to walk away from a building where he had proudly served thousands of clients for many decades. The move was a bit easier on him when he realized his new office had the best view of Schoolcraft College’s campus. Cummings was a generous donor to the college and always very proud of the college’s accomplishments.
One of the firm’s numerous accomplishments is the formation of Michigan Municipal Risk Management Authority (MMRMA). In 1980, Cummings and Bernard McClorey, a grade school friend and co-founder of the firm, created an organization that joined local governmental entities together to secure insurance coverage that promised stability of premium and far-reaching protection. MMRMA started with three Michigan municipalities. Today, MMRMA is the largest liability and property public entity risk pool in Michigan with more than 400 members.
Ronald Acho, co-founder and equity partner of the firm, shared his thoughts on Cummings, who he, and many others, affectionately referred to as OJ. “When I met OJ as a young man, little did I know that he would be my mentor and friend for over 50 years,” said Acho. “He had such an outstanding reputation with judges and clients that I became the beneficiary of that reputation. At times it was funny because he would ask me to handle a client matter for him, and his clients would ask ‘Can I have Owen instead?’ Nonetheless, he was the heart, soul, and consciousness of the firm. Rarely in the legal profession do we find people as great as OJ.”
Cummings retired from practicing law several years ago and greatly enjoyed spending his retirement years with the people he cherished most: his children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and his loving wife of 68 years, Ruth.
Visitation will be held on Sunday, June 29, at 2 p.m. at Harry J. Will Funeral Home, 37000 W Six Mile Road in Livonia. A scripture service will be held at 7 p.m.
Funeral in state will be held on Monday, June 30, at 10 a.m. at St. Edith Church, 15089 Newburgh Rd. in Livonia. The funeral mass will be held at 11 a.m.
