KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Retired Tennessee appeals court Judge Charles Susano died over the weekend. He was 86.
The family will receive friends at 5:30 p.m. Monday, May 16, at the Cathedral Hall at Sacred Heart in Knoxville. The funeral mass will be 10 a.m. Tuesday, May 17, at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in Knoxville.
The Knoxville native was the longest-serving state appellate judge when he retired formally in April 2020, having been appointed to the state Court of Appeals in 1994.
Colleagues and friends recalled him Monday as a warm and compassionate man and a dedicated jurist.
"Judge Susano was an extraordinary person," Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sharon Lee said Monday. "Although he had physical challenges that would have sidelined most people, Judge Susano became one of the most influential appellate judges in the state. As Chief Judge of the Tennessee Court of Appeals, he will long be remembered for his appellate decisions that were based on the law and grounded in common sense, mercy, and compassion. Judge Susano had a deep and abiding faith and love for his family, friends, and the rule of law. He had many friends, and to be his friend was truly an honor and blessing."
Susano was widely admired and respected for his service, having received the Tennessee Bar Association's Justice Frank F. Drowota III Outstanding Judicial Service Award in 2017 and been named Appellate Judge of the Year by the American Board of Trial Advocates, Tennessee Chapter, in 2003.
The Knoxville Bar also recognized him with its Courage in the Face of Adversity Award.
In the early 1990s, Susano suffered permanent paralysis in a mishap that required him to use a wheelchair for the rest of his life. The injury never set him back, however, and he was a familiar and friendly face around downtown and in attendance at community gatherings.
For years Susano and his son, Charlie, the Knox County Circuit Court clerk, made it a tradition to buy pizzas for youth in Knox County juvenile custody during the Super Bowl. WBIR profiled them two years ago.
The judge also was an author, publishing a book about the late U.S. District Court Judge Robert L. Taylor of the East Tennessee bench.
Susano also had sat as a special judge on the Tennessee Supreme Court.
At his retirement, the judge observed it had "been the highest honor of my life to have served the people of the state of Tennessee, and I am profoundly grateful for the opportunity.”
Susano was a 1958 graduate of the University of Notre Dame and earned his law degree in 1963 from the University of Tennessee College of Law. He loved Notre Dame so much that he made the university's fight song his ring tone.
Before being appointed to the bench in 1994, Susano practiced law for about 30 years in Knoxville.
Survivors include his wife, Carolyn, three children, Stephen, Maria and Charlie, and six grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, tributes to Susano may be made by donating to The Judge Charles D. Susano, Jr. Memorial Scholarship Endowment at the University of Tennessee College of Law, Attn: Ellen Cole, Director of Advancement at UT College of Law, 1505 Cumberland Ave., Suite 248, Knoxville, TN 37996. Donations may also be made to the disABILITY Resource Center, Attn: Brook Rogers, 9111 Cross Park Dr. Suite E 135, Knoxville, TN 37923
