Barry C. Dozor, retired Delaware County judge, longtime attorney, and community leader, has died at 76
For 23 years, he oversaw thousands of cases in the civil, criminal, and family divisions of the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas.
Barry C. Dozor, 76, formerly of Broomall, retired judge in the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas, onetime attorney at Dozor & Auslander in Collingdale, longtime Marple Township commissioner, legal consultant, mediator, mentor, and volunteer, died suddenly Saturday, Aug. 23, at his home in Garnet Valley. The cause of his death has not been disclosed.
For 23 years and four months, from his appointment to the bench in 2001 by Gov. Tom Ridge to his retirement in March at the mandatory age of 75, Judge Dozor oversaw thousands of cases in the civil, criminal, and family divisions of Delaware County Court.
He was elected to his first full 10-year term in 2003 and reelected in 2013 and 2023. Fellow attorneys called him “genuine” and “a model judge” in online tributes. One said: “You knew a fair and just result was forthcoming.”
He ruled on all kinds of cases — murder, divorce, malpractice, sex crimes, business fraud — and presided over the sprawling Pennsylvania coordinated opioid litigation and the recent Chester Upland School District receivership.
He was an administrative liaison for the civil and family divisions and senior judge for a time. He introduced the “one judge, one family” approach to simplify and improve the process of family law cases.
He also married couples, mentored other judges and lawyers, and wrote bench books on judicial procedure. “He could look beyond the surface of a case and see background and context,” said his son Josh.
He spoke at judges conferences and bar association events, and won service and achievement awards from the Pennsylvania Bar Association, Delaware County Bar Association, and Delaware County Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
He was featured on the cover of Marple Friends and Neighbors magazine in February 2021 and told writer Holly Stupak: “Being a judge has given me the opportunity to stay young. It keeps me open minded and academic.”
In March, he established himself as an independent consultant for mediation, arbitration, and other legal matters. On his website, barrydozor.com, he said his career reflects “the high standards of our profession with excellence, achievement, civility, and dignity.”
Other lawyers said online: “I still retain incredible knowledge imparted by Judge Dozor,” and “His kindness and evenhanded approach to the resolution of conflict was remarkable.”
Judge Dozor and former law partner Sam Auslander founded Dozor & Auslander in 1975 after the future judge graduated from what is now Widener University Delaware Law School. For 26 years, he handled all kinds of cases and, when clients needed to, bartered his legal services for whatever they could offer.
As Marple Township commissioner for 18 years, from 1984 to 2002, he balanced budgets, championed libraries and parks, navigated sometimes testy political waters, and supported fundraisers for police and firefighters. He pitched in whenever and wherever action was needed, township residents said in online tributes. His son said he even drove the plow when snow piled up in the winter.
“It’s nice to drive through Marple and realize the positive effect you’ve had on the landscape,” he told Marple Friends and Neighbors magazine. On Facebook, State Sen. Tim Kearney said Judge Dozor “dedicated his life to public service and justice.”
He was also municipal solicitor for Prospect Park, Norwood, Collingdale, and Tinicum Township, and solicitor for zoning hearing boards in Marple Township and Darby. “Being in general practice,” he told The Inquirer in 2001, “I have my fingerprints on a lot of different things.”
He served seven terms on the Council of Trustees at West Chester University and earned the 2022 Distinguished Alumni Award from the Department of Political Science Alumni Association. At Delaware County Community College, he was on the paralegal certification advisory board.
“He was a ball of energy,” his son said. A friend said: “Judge Dozor was one of the good guys.”
Barry Charles Dozor was born May 23, 1949, in Philadelphia. He grew up in Havertown with his brother and sister, and graduated from Haverford High School.
He was an Eagle Scout and avid reader, and he knew in fourth grade that he wanted to be a lawyer. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and government at West Chester in 1971 and graduated from law school in 1975.
He met Rose Gruber at West Chester, and they married and had a son, Josh. They also adopted a son, Ian, from Colombia, and a daughter, Courtney, from Philadelphia, and lived in Broomall for decades before moving to Garnet Valley three years ago.
Judge Dozor followed the local sports teams and the political scene. He grew flowers, played golf, lounged on the beach, and fished off Long Beach Island. He was active with the Marple Township Little League and Temple Sholom in Broomall.
He was president of his Phi Epsilon Kappa fraternity at West Chester and later a judge for the local Special Olympics. He was patriotic and sentimental, and rode in several Fourth of July parades.
His family said: “Barry found passion and purpose helping his neighbors and community as a true public servant.”
In addition to his wife and children, Judge Dozor is survived by two grandchildren, a brother, a sister, and other relatives.
A service and celebration of his life were held Aug. 26.
Donations in his name may be made to the Special Olympics Pennsylvania Delaware County, Box 1202, Havertown, Pa. 19083.