Richard "Dick" F. Swope

Richard (Dick) F. Swope died November 18, 2025, peacefully at home with his wife of 72 years Katie and his family by his side. He was born October 20, 1928 to Marie Dunn Swope and Francis N. Swope. He was raised in Georgetown, Ohio, before moving to Columbus to attend The Ohio State University. Upon graduation he taught at Mount Orab High School where he coached basketball. He then served in the 45th Infantry Division of the 180th Infantry Regiment Company C during the Korean War. He was awarded the Bronze Star for his service.

Upon returning from Korea, he began dating Katie Anderson and they married three months later. They moved to Columbus where Dick enrolled in law school and earned his Juris Doctor from The Ohio State University College of Law. He passed the bar in March of 1956. Dick began his legal career in the private sector before moving to the public sector as an Attorney

Examiner. Richard served as the Franklin County Legal Aid Director from 1958-1959. He then continued his service to Ohioans as an Assistant Attorney General from 1959-1963. Beginning in 1963, he was in private practice with several firms and as a solo practitioner. In 1996, he and has daughter Kristy founded the law firm of Swope and Swope, where he practiced until the worldwide pandemic in 2020 ended his career.

Over the years, Dick was active in many important local, state and national law related organizations. He was a member and Fellow of the Columbus Bar Association, where he served on numerous committees, as Chair of its Board of Governors, and was awarded the Professionalism Award. He served as president of the Franklin County Trial Lawyers Association, and the Central Ohio Association for Justice.

Dick served as a member of the Franklin County Public Defender Commission for over 35 years as a board member and for many years as its Chair. Those years of service were marked by his leadership, dedication, commitment and passion for the mission of the office to provide comprehensive legal representation services in criminal, juvenile, and custody proceedings to indigent persons in Franklin County so as to fulfill the constitutional mandate of “equal justice under the law”. 

He embodied professionalism, integrity, and ethics throughout his years of practice. In 2019, Dick was awarded the Ohio State Bar Foundation Ritter Award, which “recognizes the accomplishments of the honoree in the attaining and promotion of the highest level of professionalism, integrity and ethics in the practice of law while assisting other attorneys, the courts and the public to envision and cause changes which improve the justice system in Ohio.” 

Dick was an avid fan and supporter of OSU, particularly in the men’s and women’s basketball programs. He enjoyed travel and fishing, but his primary love was for his family. He is survived by his wife Katie Anderson Swope; his children Jeffrey Swope, Judith Swope Dufault (Mark), Kristy Swope (Mike Paplow) and Andrew Swope (Cheryl); His grandchildren Julian Dufault (Morgan), Jessie Swope Kisltler (Scott), Jayme Roberts (Trent), Jacob Swope, Henry Paplow and Samuel Paplow; his great-grandchildren Sofia Dufault, Luci Kistler, Oliver Roberts, Otto Roberts, and Ozzy Roberts; his nephew and niece Richard and Debbie Marks; and many other loving family members.

Arrangements by Roberts Funeral Home-Logan, Ohio.

To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of Richard "Dick" F. Swope, please visit our Tree Store.