John is the son of John Eugene Vallerie & Ida Pearl Lockwood Vallerie. He has two brothers & a sister. John married & has a large family. He served as a probate judge in Norwalk, CT.
By FRANCIS X. FAY JR.
Hour Senior Writer
The Norwalk-Wilton Probate Court has had some extraordinarily good judges over the years, but it's difficult to conceive of any of them having more compassion than the late Judge John E. Vallerie Jr.
Chances are he might have been asked to serve for another decade or more by the voters, had he not been stricken by lymphoma and died in May of 1997 at the age of 67.
He had gained many new admirers by that time through his decade of service in the office, and had maintained the respect of his legal peers.
For these and other reasons, Vallerie will be installed on the Norwalk High School Alumni Association Wall of Honor during a 3 p.m. dinner Sunday, Oct. 4, in the Norwalk Inn & Conference Center, 99 East Ave.
No one has more admiration for his predecessor than current Probate Judge Anthony J. DePanfilis, now in his 12th year after winning a special election and two re-elections to the position. The two had practiced together since 1981 in the firm of DePanfilis and Vallerie based on Belden Avenue.
"John epitomized the family man," DePanfilis said. "But beyond that, he possessed an astounding depth of love for all mankind, a quality which he manifest in running this court."
Judge F. Paul Kurmay, administrator of the state probate court system at the time of Vallerie's death, said: "John represented all that is best in a judge -- integrity, steadfastness, compassion, humility, dedication to the law, and an abiding desire to help people in need. And he brought brightness and light, good cheer and concern to all of his colleagues in the Probate Assembly."
That opinion was shared by many lawyers, even those who never came before his court, but remembered him from his decade as a prosecutor in the Norwalk Court. Attorney Emanuel Margolis, a criminal trial lawyer of Westport, wrote in 1997: "It was my sense that John always combined principle and the art of compromise in a blend that led to just and fair results. There is no doubt in my mind that the Norwalk community and the legal community have lost a valuable professional."
During his tenure, Vallerie oversaw the transfer in 1988 of the probate court from the Administration and Service Center at 115 Main St. to the new City Hall.
In the process, he modernized office procedures to make service faster and more efficient while making a concerted effort to introduce the public to an awareness of the services available to them in the areas of guardianship, conservatorships, adoptions and the supervision of estates and trusts. He also conducted seminars for lawyers, legal secretaries and paralegals and sent his clerks to seminars throughout the state to enhance their knowledge of probate law.
A native of Norwalk raised from an early age at 20 Indian Spring Road, Judge Vallerie was the oldest of four children in the family of the late John E. Vallerie, founder of Vallerie Transportation Inc., and the late Ida Lockwood Vallerie. The trucking company was a large regional operation based for several decades on Connecticut Avenue between Scribner Avenue and Rampart Road. The judge was an officer of the corporation until his death.
Shortly after high school, Vallerie had enlisted in the U.S. Air Force at the outset of the Korean War and served four years.Returning home, he completed a bachelor's degree at Fordham University in 1956 and took a law degree soon after from Georgetown University. There, he met his wife, the former Margaret Kiley of New York City, a Georgetown law school honor graduate. They would have eight children, six of them girls, two of whom are lawyers -- Maureen Ornouski of Staples Court, a prosecutor in the criminal division of Stamford Superior Court, and Colleen Zingaro of Newtown, a prosecutor in Danbury Superior Court.
He practiced locally with the late attorney Vincent Flaherty prior to joining DePanfilis. He also served one term in the General Assembly (1960-62) as a member of the Republican Party. Although he was too small for varsity sports at NHS, the judge developed rapidly during his Air Force tour and returned a strapping six-footer, strong and fast enough to attract a baseball contract offer from the Philadelphia Phillies organization. But he was intent upon enjoying a large family and practicing law in his home- town and that's what he did.
He coached his girls when they played elementary school basketball and even indulged a bit himself in slow-pitch softball and touch football. He lived to enjoy 11 of his 18 grandchildren.
DePanfilis thought so highly of his partner that he dedicated the large conference room in the law office to Judge Vallerie where a commissioned oil portrait by John Harris grace sone wall.
"I'm always inspired when I walk into that room," DePanfilis said.
By FRANCIS X. FAY JR.
Hour Senior Writer
The Norwalk-Wilton Probate Court has had some extraordinarily good judges over the years, but it's difficult to conceive of any of them having more compassion than the late Judge John E. Vallerie Jr.
Chances are he might have been asked to serve for another decade or more by the voters, had he not been stricken by lymphoma and died in May of 1997 at the age of 67.
He had gained many new admirers by that time through his decade of service in the office, and had maintained the respect of his legal peers.
For these and other reasons, Vallerie will be installed on the Norwalk High School Alumni Association Wall of Honor during a 3 p.m. dinner Sunday, Oct. 4, in the Norwalk Inn & Conference Center, 99 East Ave.
No one has more admiration for his predecessor than current Probate Judge Anthony J. DePanfilis, now in his 12th year after winning a special election and two re-elections to the position. The two had practiced together since 1981 in the firm of DePanfilis and Vallerie based on Belden Avenue.
"John epitomized the family man," DePanfilis said. "But beyond that, he possessed an astounding depth of love for all mankind, a quality which he manifest in running this court."
Judge F. Paul Kurmay, administrator of the state probate court system at the time of Vallerie's death, said: "John represented all that is best in a judge -- integrity, steadfastness, compassion, humility, dedication to the law, and an abiding desire to help people in need. And he brought brightness and light, good cheer and concern to all of his colleagues in the Probate Assembly."
That opinion was shared by many lawyers, even those who never came before his court, but remembered him from his decade as a prosecutor in the Norwalk Court. Attorney Emanuel Margolis, a criminal trial lawyer of Westport, wrote in 1997: "It was my sense that John always combined principle and the art of compromise in a blend that led to just and fair results. There is no doubt in my mind that the Norwalk community and the legal community have lost a valuable professional."
During his tenure, Vallerie oversaw the transfer in 1988 of the probate court from the Administration and Service Center at 115 Main St. to the new City Hall.
In the process, he modernized office procedures to make service faster and more efficient while making a concerted effort to introduce the public to an awareness of the services available to them in the areas of guardianship, conservatorships, adoptions and the supervision of estates and trusts. He also conducted seminars for lawyers, legal secretaries and paralegals and sent his clerks to seminars throughout the state to enhance their knowledge of probate law.
A native of Norwalk raised from an early age at 20 Indian Spring Road, Judge Vallerie was the oldest of four children in the family of the late John E. Vallerie, founder of Vallerie Transportation Inc., and the late Ida Lockwood Vallerie. The trucking company was a large regional operation based for several decades on Connecticut Avenue between Scribner Avenue and Rampart Road. The judge was an officer of the corporation until his death.
Shortly after high school, Vallerie had enlisted in the U.S. Air Force at the outset of the Korean War and served four years.Returning home, he completed a bachelor's degree at Fordham University in 1956 and took a law degree soon after from Georgetown University. There, he met his wife, the former Margaret Kiley of New York City, a Georgetown law school honor graduate. They would have eight children, six of them girls, two of whom are lawyers -- Maureen Ornouski of Staples Court, a prosecutor in the criminal division of Stamford Superior Court, and Colleen Zingaro of Newtown, a prosecutor in Danbury Superior Court.
He practiced locally with the late attorney Vincent Flaherty prior to joining DePanfilis. He also served one term in the General Assembly (1960-62) as a member of the Republican Party. Although he was too small for varsity sports at NHS, the judge developed rapidly during his Air Force tour and returned a strapping six-footer, strong and fast enough to attract a baseball contract offer from the Philadelphia Phillies organization. But he was intent upon enjoying a large family and practicing law in his home- town and that's what he did.
He coached his girls when they played elementary school basketball and even indulged a bit himself in slow-pitch softball and touch football. He lived to enjoy 11 of his 18 grandchildren.
DePanfilis thought so highly of his partner that he dedicated the large conference room in the law office to Judge Vallerie where a commissioned oil portrait by John Harris grace sone wall.
"I'm always inspired when I walk into that room," DePanfilis said.
John is the son of John Eugene Vallerie & Ida Pearl Lockwood Vallerie. He has two brothers & a sister. John married & has a large family. He served as a probate judge in Norwalk, CT.
By FRANCIS X. FAY JR.
Hour Senior Writer
The Norwalk-Wilton Probate Court has had some extraordinarily good judges over the years, but it's difficult to conceive of any of them having more compassion than the late Judge John E. Vallerie Jr.
Chances are he might have been asked to serve for another decade or more by the voters, had he not been stricken by lymphoma and died in May of 1997 at the age of 67.
He had gained many new admirers by that time through his decade of service in the office, and had maintained the respect of his legal peers.
For these and other reasons, Vallerie will be installed on the Norwalk High School Alumni Association Wall of Honor during a 3 p.m. dinner Sunday, Oct. 4, in the Norwalk Inn & Conference Center, 99 East Ave.
No one has more admiration for his predecessor than current Probate Judge Anthony J. DePanfilis, now in his 12th year after winning a special election and two re-elections to the position. The two had practiced together since 1981 in the firm of DePanfilis and Vallerie based on Belden Avenue.
"John epitomized the family man," DePanfilis said. "But beyond that, he possessed an astounding depth of love for all mankind, a quality which he manifest in running this court."
Judge F. Paul Kurmay, administrator of the state probate court system at the time of Vallerie's death, said: "John represented all that is best in a judge -- integrity, steadfastness, compassion, humility, dedication to the law, and an abiding desire to help people in need. And he brought brightness and light, good cheer and concern to all of his colleagues in the Probate Assembly."
That opinion was shared by many lawyers, even those who never came before his court, but remembered him from his decade as a prosecutor in the Norwalk Court. Attorney Emanuel Margolis, a criminal trial lawyer of Westport, wrote in 1997: "It was my sense that John always combined principle and the art of compromise in a blend that led to just and fair results. There is no doubt in my mind that the Norwalk community and the legal community have lost a valuable professional."
During his tenure, Vallerie oversaw the transfer in 1988 of the probate court from the Administration and Service Center at 115 Main St. to the new City Hall.
In the process, he modernized office procedures to make service faster and more efficient while making a concerted effort to introduce the public to an awareness of the services available to them in the areas of guardianship, conservatorships, adoptions and the supervision of estates and trusts. He also conducted seminars for lawyers, legal secretaries and paralegals and sent his clerks to seminars throughout the state to enhance their knowledge of probate law.
A native of Norwalk raised from an early age at 20 Indian Spring Road, Judge Vallerie was the oldest of four children in the family of the late John E. Vallerie, founder of Vallerie Transportation Inc., and the late Ida Lockwood Vallerie. The trucking company was a large regional operation based for several decades on Connecticut Avenue between Scribner Avenue and Rampart Road. The judge was an officer of the corporation until his death.
Shortly after high school, Vallerie had enlisted in the U.S. Air Force at the outset of the Korean War and served four years.Returning home, he completed a bachelor's degree at Fordham University in 1956 and took a law degree soon after from Georgetown University. There, he met his wife, the former Margaret Kiley of New York City, a Georgetown law school honor graduate. They would have eight children, six of them girls, two of whom are lawyers -- Maureen Ornouski of Staples Court, a prosecutor in the criminal division of Stamford Superior Court, and Colleen Zingaro of Newtown, a prosecutor in Danbury Superior Court.
He practiced locally with the late attorney Vincent Flaherty prior to joining DePanfilis. He also served one term in the General Assembly (1960-62) as a member of the Republican Party. Although he was too small for varsity sports at NHS, the judge developed rapidly during his Air Force tour and returned a strapping six-footer, strong and fast enough to attract a baseball contract offer from the Philadelphia Phillies organization. But he was intent upon enjoying a large family and practicing law in his home- town and that's what he did.
He coached his girls when they played elementary school basketball and even indulged a bit himself in slow-pitch softball and touch football. He lived to enjoy 11 of his 18 grandchildren.
DePanfilis thought so highly of his partner that he dedicated the large conference room in the law office to Judge Vallerie where a commissioned oil portrait by John Harris grace sone wall.
"I'm always inspired when I walk into that room," DePanfilis said.
By FRANCIS X. FAY JR.
Hour Senior Writer
The Norwalk-Wilton Probate Court has had some extraordinarily good judges over the years, but it's difficult to conceive of any of them having more compassion than the late Judge John E. Vallerie Jr.
Chances are he might have been asked to serve for another decade or more by the voters, had he not been stricken by lymphoma and died in May of 1997 at the age of 67.
He had gained many new admirers by that time through his decade of service in the office, and had maintained the respect of his legal peers.
For these and other reasons, Vallerie will be installed on the Norwalk High School Alumni Association Wall of Honor during a 3 p.m. dinner Sunday, Oct. 4, in the Norwalk Inn & Conference Center, 99 East Ave.
No one has more admiration for his predecessor than current Probate Judge Anthony J. DePanfilis, now in his 12th year after winning a special election and two re-elections to the position. The two had practiced together since 1981 in the firm of DePanfilis and Vallerie based on Belden Avenue.
"John epitomized the family man," DePanfilis said. "But beyond that, he possessed an astounding depth of love for all mankind, a quality which he manifest in running this court."
Judge F. Paul Kurmay, administrator of the state probate court system at the time of Vallerie's death, said: "John represented all that is best in a judge -- integrity, steadfastness, compassion, humility, dedication to the law, and an abiding desire to help people in need. And he brought brightness and light, good cheer and concern to all of his colleagues in the Probate Assembly."
That opinion was shared by many lawyers, even those who never came before his court, but remembered him from his decade as a prosecutor in the Norwalk Court. Attorney Emanuel Margolis, a criminal trial lawyer of Westport, wrote in 1997: "It was my sense that John always combined principle and the art of compromise in a blend that led to just and fair results. There is no doubt in my mind that the Norwalk community and the legal community have lost a valuable professional."
During his tenure, Vallerie oversaw the transfer in 1988 of the probate court from the Administration and Service Center at 115 Main St. to the new City Hall.
In the process, he modernized office procedures to make service faster and more efficient while making a concerted effort to introduce the public to an awareness of the services available to them in the areas of guardianship, conservatorships, adoptions and the supervision of estates and trusts. He also conducted seminars for lawyers, legal secretaries and paralegals and sent his clerks to seminars throughout the state to enhance their knowledge of probate law.
A native of Norwalk raised from an early age at 20 Indian Spring Road, Judge Vallerie was the oldest of four children in the family of the late John E. Vallerie, founder of Vallerie Transportation Inc., and the late Ida Lockwood Vallerie. The trucking company was a large regional operation based for several decades on Connecticut Avenue between Scribner Avenue and Rampart Road. The judge was an officer of the corporation until his death.
Shortly after high school, Vallerie had enlisted in the U.S. Air Force at the outset of the Korean War and served four years.Returning home, he completed a bachelor's degree at Fordham University in 1956 and took a law degree soon after from Georgetown University. There, he met his wife, the former Margaret Kiley of New York City, a Georgetown law school honor graduate. They would have eight children, six of them girls, two of whom are lawyers -- Maureen Ornouski of Staples Court, a prosecutor in the criminal division of Stamford Superior Court, and Colleen Zingaro of Newtown, a prosecutor in Danbury Superior Court.
He practiced locally with the late attorney Vincent Flaherty prior to joining DePanfilis. He also served one term in the General Assembly (1960-62) as a member of the Republican Party. Although he was too small for varsity sports at NHS, the judge developed rapidly during his Air Force tour and returned a strapping six-footer, strong and fast enough to attract a baseball contract offer from the Philadelphia Phillies organization. But he was intent upon enjoying a large family and practicing law in his home- town and that's what he did.
He coached his girls when they played elementary school basketball and even indulged a bit himself in slow-pitch softball and touch football. He lived to enjoy 11 of his 18 grandchildren.
DePanfilis thought so highly of his partner that he dedicated the large conference room in the law office to Judge Vallerie where a commissioned oil portrait by John Harris grace sone wall.
"I'm always inspired when I walk into that room," DePanfilis said.
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