- Date Of Birth: May 28, 1930
- Date Of Death: July 8, 2022
- State: West Virginia
Judge Robert C. Halbritter, 92, passed away peacefully in his home on July 8, 2022 in the presence of his family. He was the son of the late Arden Ogden and Gertrude (Coffman) Halbritter. He was born in Grafton, WV on May 28, 1930, and raised in Tunnelton, WV. He was preceded in death by his two brothers, Arden Ogden Halbritter, Jr. and John Frank Halbritter who was killed in WW II.
Following his childhood education, he attended Potomac State College where he served as student body president and West Virginia University where he graduated with a Juris Doctor degree in 1954. Following his graduation, he was a member of the Army, serving at West Point, NY from 1954-1956.
Judge Halbritter was well known and respected throughout the region and state as a jurist. He loved being a judge, not because of the power of the position but because of his belief in our judicial system and the importance of impartial justice. When someone entered his court, you knew to be respectfully well dressed and as a lawyer, you knew to be prepared because he was. As plaintiff or defendant, you had confidence you would receive a fair trial.
He was a devoted husband and father who had many passions. He was an avid gardener known for donating his abundant crops to his friends and co-workers. He was dedicated to fitness, driving to Morgantown without fail three times per week and running laps on his off days around his beloved Preston Country Club. He was a wine connoisseur who relished in expounding on the virtues of various wines and thriving on finding great bargains on outstanding wines. He worked the Dominion Post crossword puzzles everyday relying on his Latin education to regularly guess challenging words. He loved his grandchildren and taught them many virtues such as “there is no substitution for preparation”. He served as Judge of the 18th Judicial Circuit (Preston County) from December 1971 through January 1997. Following that, he was a senior status judge for the rest of his life. On several occasions he was asked by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals to serve as a temporary Supreme Court Justice.
Throughout his career, he was a member of the West Virginia State Bar. As a member of the West Virginia Judicial Association, he served on many different committees, including numerous ones that helped shape how the judiciary handled both civil and criminal matters. He served as the organization’s president from 1984-85. Judge Halbritter was also active at the National Judicial College in Reno, Nevada where he was initially a student and then an instructor. He similarly served as an instructor and lecturer on numerous occasions at the West Virginia University College of Law.
During most of his life, he, and his wife, the former Waneila Fisher who is accomplished in her own right as a mother, teacher, school administrator and singer, were residents of Kingwood, West Virginia. Initially he served as a practicing attorney in Kingwood. During that time, he served on city council (1962-64) and as a Delegate in the West Virginia Legislature (1966-1971) where he served as minority whip.
An Episcopalian by faith, he was a lifelong member of St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in Kingwood. He served on the vestry for most of his life in a variety of capacities including Jr. and Sr. Warden.
Judge Halbritter and Waneila had three sons he loved dearly, Marc, Kevin and John. Marc is married to the former Debora Whetsell of Kingwood, and they currently reside in Hilton Head Island, SC. They are parents to three of the Judge’s three grandchildren, Ashlee (Cory), Skyler (Mitch) and Alex (Aaron) and two of his great grandchildren, Davis (Ashlee/Cory) and Charlie (Skyler/Mitch). Kevin, a resident of Morgantown, is married to Dhel Enriquez. He has four of the Judge’s grandchildren—Robert, Rachel (Zack) Shannon and Carmella. Rachel (Zack) is the mother of the judge’s third great grandchild, Lee. John, who also lives in Morgantown, is married to the former Diane Childs of Kingwood. They have three of the judge’s grandchildren, Sage, Asia Mae, and Reid.
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