Lesley Simpson Wells

U.S. District Judge Lesley Wells passed away at her home on Tuesday August 5th.She was 87 years old.

“Whatever you choose to do, leave tracks” - Ruth Bader Ginsburg

True to the Quaker origins of her spiritual life, Judge Wells let her life speak her values until the very end. She was a dedicated advocate of the rule of law and broke many barriers, not just in her career but in her tireless service to ensure equal rights for women, and the just and fair treatment for all.

She was born in 1937 in Muskegon, Michigan but spent her childhood in many parts of the world as the daughter of a U.S. Army Officer.She earned her undergraduate degree from Chatham College for Women in Pittsburgh in 1959 and after raising her four children, attended Cleveland State University's College of Law and graduated with honors in 1974.

Judge Wells was appointed by President William Jefferson Clinton to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio in 1994.Previously, she had served as a Common Pleas Judge in Cuyahoga County for 11 years, beginning as the first woman Domestic Relations Judge on that court and thereafter, by election, to the Common Pleas Court of General Jurisdiction. Prior to assuming the bench, Judge Wells practiced Law and served as Director of a national litigation support center at CSUCollege of Law. She also served on the CSU faculty, teaching both Law and Urban Policy.

She was a member of the American Law Institute, served as President, Counselor, and Master of William K. Thomas Chapter of American Inns of Court, and was a member of the Council and Chair of the Jury Initiatives Task Force of the Litigation Section of the American Bar Association. Judge Wells was also a member of the CSU College of Law National Advisory Council, and a participant in The Aspen Institute Justice and Society Program.

Judge Wells chaired the Ohio Task Force on Family Violence and was President of Cleveland Legal Aid Society.She served as a Trustee of Miami University (Ohio) and of Chatham College in Pittsburgh as well as being a Trustee at Cleveland’s Rose Mary Center for disabled children. She was a Fellow at the Institute for Medicine and Humanities of the National Endowment for Humanities, a member of Case Western Reserve University Biomedical Ethics Advisory Committee, and the first woman member of the century-old Philosophical Club of Cleveland.

Her professional and community activities resulted in a number of awards, including: Superior Judicial Award (Ohio Supreme Court); Merit Service Award (Cleveland Bar Association); Distinguished Alumna Award (Chatham College and CSU College of Law); Golden Gavel Award (Ohio Common Pleas Judges Association); and Greater Cleveland Woman of Achievement Award (YWCA of Cleveland).

As a United States District Judge, she presided over a number of high-profile cases, including U.S. v. James A. Traficant and Blue Cross and Blue Shield Mutual of Ohio v. Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.

Judge Wells collected leaves, shells, and handbags. She wore hats. She was a gifted knitter, and a lover of kites, hammocks, and dragons. Affectionately known as “Queen of Trouts”, she was a passionate (and well-outfitted) angler who learned to flyfish from the original “Reel Women” back in 1994. She was a founding member of a local group of professional women who gathered to fish the most celebrated trout streams in America. The self-proclaimed “Fishers” wereeven featured on Good Morning America. Judge Wells adored a red convertible of any makebut was most often seen in her cherished red vintage Mercedes which was plastered with bumper stickers. But perhaps nothing commanded her attention more than her beloved Labradors, who were often by her side.

Lesley was married to the late Arthur V.N. Brooks with whom she had her four children, eight grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. She was later married to the late Charles F. Clarke for fourteen golden years. Judge Wells is survived by a loving extended family, and cherished lifelong friends. Lesley was the dear mother of Lauren Elizabeth Miller (Stan) of Mt. Shasta, CA; Caryn Alison Brooks of Irasburg, VT; Anne Kristin Brooks (Glenn Meyer) of Cleveland Hts, OH and Thomas Eliot Brooks of Lugano, Switzerland. She was the dear grandmother of Storm Miller, Tenaya Miller (Matt), Lohr, Avery Coleman, Jared Coleman, Griffin Meyer, Emmett Meyer, Federico Brooks and Ruggero Brooks. She was the great grandmother of Oliver Lohr and Isabelle Lohr. She was the dear sister of David Mercer Wells and aunt of Adrian Roland-Holst, Haniel Roland –Holst, Cybele Roland- Holst and Eleanor Wells.

The family of Judge Wells wishes to express gratitude to the many visitors and neighbors who gathered around her during her final days. These include caregivers Jeanne Markusic and Psheanette Weekes and theexceptional care team assembled by Cleveland Clinic Hospice.

In lieu of flowers please consider a donation in memory of Judge Lesley Wells to:

The Legal Aid Society of Clevelandhttps://lasclev.org/donationform/

Cleveland Museum of Natural History https://www.cmnh.org/support/make-a-gift

Funeral Services will be held on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, at the Howard M. Metzenbaum U.S. Courthouse – 201 Superior Avenue, Cleveland OH 44114 – at 11:00 a.m. Family will receive visitors beginning at 10:00 am. Procession Private interment to follow.