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Veteran judge 'will be missed'

By: dmc-admin//March 19, 2003//

Veteran judge 'will be missed'

By: dmc-admin//March 19, 2003//

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Becker

Hon. Marianne E. Becker

Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Marianne E. Becker is remembered for bringing compassion and dedication to the bench.

Becker, 61, died March 10 after suffering a stroke one day earlier. The 18-year veteran was in the midst of running her fourth campaign for the bench. She was the first woman elected to the Waukesha bench.

“She will be missed,” said Waukesha County District Attorney Paul E. Bucher, who was involved in Becker’s re-election campaign. “We certainly will miss her greatly.”

Bucher described Becker as a judge who showed great compassion for the people, who appeared before her. However, the “soft spot in her heart for people who had made bad choices” did not make her a “soft sell.”

“She had this unique ability to cut through the smoke,” Bucher recalled. “She was able to pick out the individuals … who really were good people who made some poor decisions, versus the people who just had bad characters and would continue to make bad decisions their whole lives.”

People who thought they could pull the wool over Becker’s eyes, soon found otherwise, he continued, noting that it was quite a sight to see when they realized their tactics would not work.

Third District Chief Judge Kathryn W. Foster said she turned to Becker for advice many times over the years. That advice started with Foster’s first judicial campaign and continued to the present.

“I think she brought a real passion for the law and the people who came before her,” Foster said. “She carried that passion daily.”

“She was the same person on and off the bench in her caring for others. It’s hard to find that.”

Court Administrator Michael G. Neimon noted that Becker took a personal interest in the cases that came before her, putting “her heart and soul” and “her expertise” into them.

“It is a loss for our system,” Neimon said. “She was a very good judge. She cared very much about the litigants.”

Becker also was known for her compassion toward the victims of crimes. She was involved in founding the Waukesha County Victims Impact Panel.

In addition to bringing compassion to the court system, Bucher observed that Becker also brought her intellect. He noted that she quickly learned each division in which she served.

Off the bench, Becker was actively involved with the Waukesha County D.A.R.E. program. Bucher noted, she was always willing to help out no matter how busy she was. He recalled one instance when Becker had agreed to help judge a D.A.R.E. poster contest. About 2,500 posters were displayed at the Waukesha Exposition Center and 13 were selected for a D.A.R.E. calendar.

Driving past the exposition center at 10 p.m., Bucher noticed a car parked outside. He stopped to see what was going on and found Becker standing in front of a poster, clearly tired from her day on the bench.

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Bucher said, “She would stand at every individual poster and marvel at it. I said, ‘Judge, you can’t do that. You have 2,500 posters. You’ve got to move.’ She said, ‘Nope. I said I was going to judge these posters and I’m going to judge each one individually.’”

She did just that.

“That’s indicative of Marianne,” he said.

Becker, whose legal career spanned 35 years, was running for her fourth term on the bench and faced opposition from attorney Linda Van De Water of Brookfield.

On March 10, Becker died at Elmbrook Memorial Hospital after suffering a stroke the day before. A Mass was held Saturday at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church of Wauwatosa, followed by interment at Holy Cross Cemetary.

She is survived by her husband of 36 years John Becker, her children Christopher (Kimberly), John, Daniel, Scott, Kevin (Tricia) Teske, mother Anne Esposito, and her siblings. She was preceded in death by her father Victor and brother Lawrence.

“We’ll miss her a lot,” Foster said.

Tony Anderson can be reached by email.

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