Retired Montgomery County judge dies; flags lowered at court

Judge Michael Krumholtz served nearly a decade on common pleas court

Credit: Easterling Studios

Credit: Easterling Studios

Retired Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Michael W. Krumholtz Sr. died April 20. He was 69.

He died while in Fort Collins, Colorado, according to the court. He is survived by his wife, Janis, three children, two grandchildren and five siblings.

Judge Mary Wiseman ordered flags at the Montgomery County Courts building be lowered to half-staff until the end of business on May 5 in honor of Krumholtz’s life and legacy.

Krumholtz was first elected to the general division in 2012 and elected again in 2018. He retired Feb. 28, 2022.

Judge Steve Dankof said Krumholtz was “egalitarian, selfless and true blue,” in a statement from the court. “If Mike Krumholtz was your friend, the wind never blew so cold again.”

Krumholtz also spent more than 30 years in private practice law with Bieser, Greer & Landis. Prior to private practice, he was an assistant prosecuting attorney for the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office.

“Judge Krumholtz was widely regarded as a positive, warm and ethical man, who was respected by his colleagues on the bench, loved by court staff and admired throughout the Dayton legal community,” read a release from Montgomery County Common Pleas Court.

He was part of the Dayton Bar Association, where he served as president and bar counsel, and was a member of the association’s Committee of Professional Ethics for 19 years.

Krumholtz was born on Dec. 3, 1953, to William and Barbara Krumholtz, of Dayton, according to his obituary. He graduated from Alter High School in 1972 and received degrees from Denison University and the University of Cincinnati College of Law.

While he had a successful professional life, Krumholtz “was even more successful as a son, husband, brother, father and grandfather,” his obituary noted. “He raised a family he was proud of, and that was proud of him.”

A mass is scheduled for Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Church of the Holy Angels at 1322 Brown St. in Dayton. A reception will follow immediately at the NCR Country Club in Kettering.

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