The Honorable Franklin S. Van Antwerpen, 74, passed away from us peacefully on Monday, July 25, 2016 in Easton, PA. He was born October 23, 1941 in Passaic, New Jersey to proud parents, the late Dr. Franklin J. and Dorothy (Hoedemaker) Van Antwerpen.
Judge Van Antwerpen graduated from Newark Academy in 1960, and attended college at The University of Maine, where he graduated in 1964 with a degree in Engineering Physics and a minor in Electrical Engineering. He continued his studies at the Temple University Beasley School of Law, graduating with a Juris Doctor degree in 1967. While in law school, he served as a Justice of the Moot Court. After law school, he worked for Hazeltine Corporation on projects including a top secret electronic battlefield program for the armed forces dubbed as the “Manhattan Project of the Vietnam War.” While at Hazeltine, he met and married his wife, Kathleen O’Brien. Franklin and Kathleen wed on September 12, 1970.They went on to have three children.
In 1970, he left his corporate law position in New York City and became Chief Counsel of the Northampton County Legal Aid Society in Easton, Pennsylvania, a clinic providing legal assistance to those most in need. Franklin then joined and became partner in the Easton law firm of Hemstreet, Smith, and Van Antwerpen. In 1979, he was appointed to fill a vacancy as judge on the Northampton County Court of Common Pleas and then elected to a 10-year term in 1982, having secured the backing of both major political parties. While Franklin was on the state bench, he also spent two years as the President Judge of Bradford County by special appointment, and was instrumental in rewriting the Pennsylvania Domestic Relations Code and various municipal laws. He frequently lectured on the law of evidence for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute and taught law as an adjunct professor at a local college.
In 1987, President Ronald Reagan appointed Judge Van Antwerpen to the federal bench on the United States District Court of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Franklin became nationally known when, in 1988, he conducted a trial involving all 17 members of the Philadelphia mafia and sentenced them to long prison terms. The trial gave rise to three books and a made-for-TV movie. Judge Van Antwerpen was then nominated by President Bush to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals and sworn in as a Circuit Judge on June 1, 2004. The circuit courts are the second highest courts in the United States and the final arbiter on 99% of federal cases. Judge Van Antwerpen presided as Chairman of the Criminal Business Committee of the U.S. District Court, and served on the Defender Services Committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States. He was also Chairman of the nationwide Subcommittee on Federal Defender Funding with a budget of almost a billion dollars.
Judge Van Antwerpen proudly served on the Board of Visitors of Temple University Beasley School of Law, and received numerous awards for his service and contributions, including the Law Enforcement Commendation medal of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, The Law Day Award of the Temple Law School Alumni Association, Liberty Bell Award of the Lehigh County Bar Association, and the Alumni Career Award of Newark Academy. In 2009, he received the University of Maine Alumni Achievement Award, and was listed by the Maine Alumni Magazine as one of 125 people who have made a difference in the world. He is also listed in Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in the World, as well as on Wikipedia. A brief story about his life can be found on YouTube under the heading “UMaine Alumni Association 2009 Career Award Franklin Van Antwerpen.”
Franklin was an avid pipe organ player and fond of classical music. He also enjoyed traveling with his wife Kathleen, his three children, four grandchildren, and close friends. His encyclopedic knowledge of world history and geography elevated any given adventure to new levels for those lucky enough to accompany him. Franklin also had a great sense of humor, and his endless supply of jokes and puns made time spent with him all the more memorable.
Franklin was loved and will be missed by many including his loving wife of 45 years, Kathleen, his sister Virginia Czikra and family; his daughter Joy and her husband Jeremy Silimperi; his son Franklin W. Van Antwerpen and his wife Rev. Alanna Van Antwerpen; his daughter Virginia and her husband Atty. Zachary Cohen; and his grandchildren, Brendan Franklin Cohen, Mary Silimperi, Caitlin Cohen, and Norah Van Antwerpen.
Visitation will be 2 PM to 4 PM and 6 PM to 8 PM, Wednesday (July 27) in the Ashton Funeral Home, 1337 Northampton Street, Easton, PA. His Funeral Service and Burial will be private.
Memorial contributions may be made to North Penn Legal Services, a local non-profit providing legal aid to those in need at 559 Main Street, Suite 100, Bethlehem PA 18018. Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.
