When Judge Luann Cooperrider was a kid in Thornville, Ohio, she didn't know what she wanted to be when she grew up. She did, however, know that she wanted to help people.
Today, as a 70-year-old rapidly approaching mandatory retirement after 35 years on the bench, she's confident she's done exactly that.
Cooperrider is Perry County's probate-juvenile judge, where her work revolves around children under 18. Although she frequently comes face-to-face with them in the courtroom, much of her work focuses on meeting them when they are outside of court – a practice she began in 1991, when she was elected as the county's first female judge.
As a woman with seven brothers, breaking glass ceilings as the first female assistant prosecutor and later as the first female judge
were the least impactful parts of her illustrious career and life. Not only is she a respected figure in the Perry County Courthouse, but she's also an accomplished cyclist, with ambitions to bike across the United States soon.
Through collaboration with various judges and organizations in the county, Cooperrider has created resources like a free legal clinic, animal-based therapy programs and the Alpha program, an alternative school for kids who are frequently disruptive or absent from classes at their home school.
The moments in her career that she remembers most vividly now are those where she had the power to bring dreams to life for families. She beamed when allowed to tell the story of getting to literally hand a newborn baby to a mother and father who desperately wanted a child.
"I had the ability, the power to make that happen," Cooperrider said. "Those are the cases that make life better for people. I've had kids come in here that I've sent away. They'll come back in, they'll show me their diploma or that they got married. They had a baby and they wanted me to know that they were OK."
Perry County has always been her home
The Ohio Constitution places an age limit on judges and removes their ability to seek election after they turn 70. As Cooperrider approaches the end of her current term, she is facing the uncertainty of what retirement will mean for her as a person who has given so much of her life to her career. When asked about it, she laughed and floated the idea of starting a podcast or doing stand-up comedy.
"I'm sad about it," Cooperrider said. "I protect people and I help people because I want to. It's not just coming to court and paying a fine or doing a certain thing. It's about giving people a reason to have to try and be a good citizen, ultimately someday a good parent. I think the work we do here helps so many people and I don't want it to end."
Cooperrider, who attended Sheridan High School, was the first person in her family to graduate from college. But even before she attended university, she didn't know what she wanted to do with her life. She went to her guidance counselor for advice.
"I'm there in the little room, and I'm in my senior year," she recalled. "I was kind of shy, and I was sitting there and looking at the floor, and I started smiling. And [my guidance counselor] said, 'Luann, what are you smiling about?' I said, 'Well, you're trying to tell me what to do with my life, and you have on one black sock and one brown sock.'"
In the end, Cooperrider got her degree in social welfare, social work and psychology from Ohio State University's Newark campus, after which she did graduate work at Loyola University Chicago's campus in Rome before getting her law degree from Capital University.
Cooperrider reflected fondly on her time in Italy, emphasizing the importance of seeing the world and getting a sense of how other people live. But it wasn't home. When she graduated from law school, she knew right away she wanted to practice law where she was from, so she opened her own practice in Thornville. On her first day open, she received six phone calls − four of which were from her mother.
Her office as a judge inside the historic Perry County Courthouse is homey. Pictures of her and her brothers hang on the walls near a framed portrait of her son from his time on the high school football team.
There's a gaming console tucked in the corner, bringing a laid-back feel to a side of the room otherwise characterized by formal-looking awards embossed in shiny gold letters and frames.
On her desk rests a chunk of asphalt. She rolled it around in her hands, explaining that it was a relic from the time she spent as a flag girl at an asphalt company, working 12-hour shifts whenever possible so she could pay for law school − a reminder to remember where she came from.
Cooperrider sees Perry County community as family
J-Me Braig, 71, said she and Cooperrider have been best friends since they met working a summer job at their local pool in their late teens. She describes Cooperrider as someone generous, kind and deeply committed to her work. They've spent their lives taking vacations together and supporting each other in their careers.
Overall, Braig said she considered it an honor to have been friends with Cooperrider for more than 50 years.
"You could talk for hours about the things we've done, where we've gone, jokes we've played on people and just growing up in small towns," Braig said. "She's a pretty fun redhead, to tell you the truth."
Although she was encouraged throughout her career to run for positions at the state level, Cooperrider said she couldn't bring herself to leave behind the community she has in Perry County, affectionately referring to its population as "my kids."
"When a child comes before me, I know what they need," Cooperrider said. "I know their mom, I know their neighbor, and I know what they need."
Dispatch reporter Lilli Malone can be reached at lmalone@dispatch.com or on Instagram at @lillimwrites.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: After 35 years on the bench, Perry County's first female judge is retiring
