As a judge in DeKalb County Juvenile Court, Elliott Shoenthal was known as a kind and compassionate man. And when he wasn’t robed up and on the bench, he was the same way, friends and colleagues said.
A regular at CrossFit Decatur for more than 12 years, Shoenthal was not only a client, but an ambassador of sorts, said Eric Willis, who owns the gym.
“I keep hearing these stories about how he would pull people to the side, especially people new to CrossFit, and give them advice,” said Willis, who is also a trainer. “He knew how to offer encouragement in the most subtle ways.”
Shoenthal had a way of letting people know he cared, even from the bench, said Desiree Sutton Peagler, the chief juvenile court judge.
“The manner in which he spoke to our court participants, in addition to the orders that he entered, you could tell he truly cared about the children and families in our court,” she said.
Elliott Alan Shoenthal of Dunwoody died Sunday. He was 55.
A memorial service is planned for 2 p.m. Friday at the Manuel Maloof Center, Decatur. Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care is in charge of arrangements.
Shoenthal was still an active judge at the time of his death and had recently been re-appointed as a judge in the DeKalb County Juvenile Court for another four years.
A native of Greensboro, N.C., Shoenthal did his undergraduate work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He graduated from Emory University School of Law in 1983 and started his legal career as an assistant public defender in Glynn County, according to his family. Before going into private practice he also worked for the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia and the Office of the DeKalb County Solicitor-General.
After opening his own firm in the 1990s, Shoenthal worked part time as an associate Magistrate Court judge in DeKalb. From 1992 until 2005 he served as a judge pro tem in the DeKalb Juvenile Court, and in 2005 he became a full-time judge in that court.
“He had the temperament and the personality and was well-suited to be a juvenile court judge,” said Gregory A. Adams, DeKalb County Superior Court chief judge. “Judge Shoenthal was one of those individuals who would listen to what a child and his or her family had to say. He would even go a step beyond that to make sure the child’s needs were met within the context of the juvenile court system.”
Shoenthal’s demeanor was also an asset in other courts, said Clarence F. Seeliger, a DeKalb County Superior Court judge.
“When he came in and handled one of my arraignment calendars, I had a chance to see what kinds of sentences he rendered,” Seeliger said. “He was generally firm, but also kind. He wanted to work with criminal defendants, to see if he could help them rehabilitate themselves.”
Willis said he saw the same traits in Shoenthal when the judge was working out in the gym.
“He was consistently the same,” the trainer said. “He had this connection with people that was unique.”
Shoenthal is survived by his wife of 28 years, Fran Shoenthal; daughters Rachel Shoenthal and Rebecca Shoenthal; and sister, Barbara Dolin.
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