Wendell Harry Tompkins

Published 12:13 am Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Retired Circuit Court Judge

01-06-21 to 02-27-15

Wendell Tompkins, the son of Harry M. Tompkins and Helen Johnson Tompkins was born in Herington, Kansas and grew up in Council Grove, Kansas with his parents and brother, Willis.

By all accounts, the brothers had an idyllic childhood with parents who adored them. In high school Wendell worked in an ice creamery and played French horn in his school band. He graduated from the University of Kansas with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1943 and was Phi Beta Kappa. He then reported for Navy Mid Shipman school at Notre Dame University and then for diesel engineering at Cornell University. He was a Navy line officer serving with the amphibious forces in the South Pacific from 1943 — 1946 during World War ll. After discharge, Wendell attended Yale Law School on the G. l. bill and earned his LLB degree in 1948.

After law school, Wendell and his young family moved to Albany, Oregon. He became a member of the Oregon State Bar in 1949 and practiced general law in the firm Sox and Tompkins until 1954 when he was appointed Linn County’s first District Court Judge.

Wendell was elected Linn County’s Circuit Court Judge in 1960 defeating the incumbent and was unopposed for each of his succeeding four terms until his retirement in 1987.From 1967 to 1969 he was presiding Judge of the 215‘ Judicial District which included Linn, Benton and Lincoln Counties. He also sen/ed as chairman of the Uniform Criminal Jury Instruction Committee of the Oregon Judicial Conference Executive Committee.

Wendell had three articles published in the Trial Judges Journal including “The Unpopular Decision” July, 1966, “Criminal Law: Finding the Correct Word”, April, 1967, and “The Cliche Expert Comes to Court”, January, 1971.

In 1977, Judge Tompkins sen/ed as a “pro-tem” on the Oregon Supreme Court. He studied civil cases while serving on the high court and wrote seven opinions.

Wendell served as President of District Judges Association of Oregon, President of Circuit Judges Association of Oregon: National College of State Trial Judges, 1966 and Nation College of State Trial Judges, Graduate Class, 1970. He was a member of the American Bar Association and the American Judicature Society.

He was an Oregon State University part-time staff member and sen/ed on the University of Oregon School of Law Board of Visitors.

Judge Tompkins retired in 1988 and moved with his wife, Joan, to Black Butte Ranch, Oregon and continued his legal career as a part-time arbitrator. During his retirement he studied theology and listened daily to classical music. As a French horn player in high school and college, he was always partial to symphonies with a strong French horn section. He was a season ticket holder to the Portland Opera for many years. He also enjoyed traveling and would seek out a good concert at each destination. One of his favorite trips was to Jerusalem in 1992 where he took classes at Saint GeorgeUniversity. He also enjoyed wonderful music while there.

After leaving Black Butte Ranch, Wendell moved to Bend, Oregon where he continued his passion for books, music and travel. While a Bend resident, Wendell enjoyed many vacations and happy times with his special friend, Grace Bauhofer. The family also wishes to express their gratitude to the Touchmark Home Care providers for their kind and attentive sen/ice to Wendell over several years.

Wendell will be remembered as a true gentleman. While dignified and mild mannered most of the time, he, with his brother Willis, had a keen sense of humor which he passed on to his son and grandsons. He also had a tremendous fondness for strawberry ice cream and cookies of every kind. In November, 2013, Wendell suffered a stroke and moved to Wilsonville, Oregon where he lived for the rest of his life. The family wishes to thank the men and women of The Springs at Wilsonville for the wonderful care given to him in his final years.

Wendell was predeceased by his wife, Joan, and recently by his brother, Willis.Wendell will be put to rest alongside Joan at Willamette National Cemetery in Portland, Oregon.

Wendell is survived by his daughters, Miriam Bitte of Portland and Jennifer Goodman of McMinnville and his son, Wayne Tompkins of Phoenix, Arizona. He leaves behind grandsons, Andrew Tompkins of Davenport, lowa and Aaron Bitte of Marina Del Rey, California and granddaughter, Robin Scott of Davenport, lowa. He also leaves fivegreat grandsons and three nieces.

A memorial service for Wendell will be held at the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration in Sisters, Oregon on July 31$‘ at 10:00 a.m. All are invited to celebrate his life and to join his family following the sen/ice for a brunch at Black Butte Ranch.