Judge Mark Musick
September 30, 1956 – Monday, May 5, 2025
On this saddest of Saturdays, the greater Jackson County community will offer its final farewells to one of its most estimable public servants and also one of its very best persons.
Jackson County Municipal Court Judge Mark Musick’s life was cut short last Monday at the age of 68. His death saddened many in the large circle of people he worked with in the criminal justice system but also the many everyday people who he came to know and befriend as a lifetime Jackson Countian.
Mark Musick graduated from Jackson High School in 1974, one year after me. However, we were not boyhood friends. All I knew about Mark then was that he was both friendly and brainy.
However, I got to know him much better in our adult professional roles — he as a judge and me as a newspaperman. I’ve been blessed to be able to work in my hometown county doing what I love best for many years and I’ve dealt with many public officials over that time.
I would be hard-pressed to name an official who worked as hard and cared as much about what he did than Mark Musick. His affable nature and chatty ways belied a grim determination and steely commitment to make a positive difference in his county, in his court and in the lives of countless individuals. He was a driven man. He was a character. He was a problem-solver who would not be easily deterred from his mission. He was also compassionate and caring and a genial “people person” of the best kind. Those who knew him best agreed there could be only one Mark Musick.
Five of the people who knew him best — professionally as well as personally — were the men who have served or who are serving as judges in Jackson County. All of them — former judges Stephen Michael, William C. Martin and Leonard Holzapfel and current judges Justin Skaggs and Christopher J. Regan — all agreed to provide their own memorial perspectives on Judge Musick for this tribute article. I thank each of them for taking the trouble to share what proved to be their personal and insightful thoughts about their colleague and friend.
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Judicial system colleagues fondly remember Judge Musick
From former Jackson County Common Pleas Judge Leonard Holzapfel:
“There are so many things that I could say about Mark and most of them have been said in the many tributes that have flowed forth in the days since his passing.
“I knew Mark as an adversary, co-counsel, law partner, advocate and friend. In all these roles the thing that comes to mind the most is that there was never a dull moment. Mark was an interesting and unique person who looked at life and the law from a perspective that few people or attorneys could understand. In our partnership Mark would at times get frustrated with the practice as we all probably did. When this happened, Mark would threaten to quit the law and move to Toledo and sell shoes, but those who experienced Mark knew his love of the law and helping people would never allow him to quit.”
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The Jackson County Municipal Court building at 295 Broadway St. in Jackson was like a second home to Mark Musick when he presided as the judge from Jan 1, 2008, until his death on Monday, May 5, 2025. (Telegram Photo by Pete Wilson)
From former Jackson County Common Pleas Judge William C. (Bill) Martin:
“Mark Musick was my friend, and we were professional associates. I was a Common Pleas judge from 1987 through 1992; and Mark, as a young lawyer, practiced in my court. He worked on lots of divorce cases. Back in those days, almost always the mother got custody of the children, and the father got visitation rights. In one divorce case Mark announced that he and his client, the father, were going to fight for custody. Mark did fight for custody with evidence and arguments, and he won. After that the atmosphere shifted a little for dads. During my time on the bench, Mark and Mary Bone Kunze were the premier trial lawyers in domestic cases.
“Mark was easily elected to the municipal bench. As a hearing magistrate, he always respected the people brought before him. He exhibited patience and empathy. Mark thought that being a municipal court judge involved more than presiding at hearings and trials. Behind the scenes he advocated for more jail space, in part to provide a setting for his strategy to cope with the county’s special problems. He organized a drug court for which he received numerous commendations. He always pondered what a court system could do to help criminal defendants overcome drug addiction or mental health problems. While the task is enormously difficult, he made steady progress and was instrumental in turning many lives around. As a municipal judge, he was part hearing magistrate, part politician, part planner, and part philosopher.
“Mark Musick served our community well, and we will miss him.”
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From Jackson County Probate-Juvenile Judge Justin Skaggs:
“For me, it’s personal. Judge Musick was my closest friend. But, before he was Judge Musick, he was Mark, to me and many others. He afforded opportunities to me at a youthful age that otherwise would likely have escaped my reach. He introduced me to the law and believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. He taught me what it meant to be a true servant, with pure motives, and a humble heart.
“Mark was a warrior for the underserved and vulnerable and always worked to lift up others, to encourage them, to advance them. His methods were often unorthodox and unique — but they were effective. He was certainly an outside-the-box thinker and was never afraid to appear foolish in the pursuit of a goal to advance others or the community. He implemented those qualities in the administration of his drug court. I think some people don’t realize that Mark’s impact on the young people in drug court is generational in nature. If one person finds sobriety, their child benefits and that child’s children benefit, and so on. Mark’s impact is truly immeasurable.
“I have genuinely never known another person as selfless as Mark. His passing has created a void that will long be felt and never truly healed. Mark will always be remembered for his humility, compassion, goofy humor, and love for others.”
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From Jackson County Common Pleas Judge Christopher J. Regan:
“Mark Musick had a heart of gold. As a lawyer, he exemplified the highest ideals of the legal profession. During his time on the bench, Judge Musick performed his duties impartially and diligently. Judge Musick was committed to justice, fairness, and compassion for everyone who appeared in his court.
“I am proud to have known Mark as a friend and colleague. A man of his stature and achievements will be greatly missed.”
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From former Jackson County Probate-Juvenile Judge Steve Michael:
“My cell phone rang. When Mark Musick’s name appeared, I did not realize it would be the last time we would ever speak. You could never be quite sure who would be on the other end when he called. Judge Musick? Attorney Musick? Mark Musick? It was not the first time that he had called to ask that I rescue him from a hospital. Usually, any call lasted for at least an hour and included a variety of topics. The law, the county budget and the Reds were all discussed. How I wish his name could pop up again.
“Our first contact was political and we managed campaigns for opposing candidates. He won. He adored winning. He was clever, willing to push the limits and charming. These attributes were apparent when he practiced law. When he found new legal principles that gave him an advantage, he would tell me with a smile and the joy of a child that he had found a Christmas present under his parents’ bed. ‘I’ll save this for the right case and then drop the bomb,’ he’d say.
“Brilliant and obsessive in everything, this was a blessing and a curse that drove him in the law and his personal life. He surrounded himself with people and gave his phone number to everyone who asked. Then he would call and complain that he got too many calls. The answer? Pay to change your phone number. In a week, 50 new people had that number.
“I have seen him work day and night for clients that did not or could not pay and visit the jail in the middle of the night. He did the same in his court. Tirelessly, he worked to address the drug issues in front of him. He and his staff saved many lives.
“On the other hand he could be exasperating. I witnessed him push an otherwise patient, quiet, diligent secretary into a state of rage that included screaming and clearing her desk with one sweeping motion. He could be childish, unreasonable and demanding. Let us just agree that he was a complex individual. Somehow in the midst of the chaos, he managed to earn the respect of most of the players in his life. This was no small task.
“I will miss seeing his name appear on my phone. I will miss my friend.”
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