Victor LaPuma Miceli

April 30, 1928 - September 16, 2010

Justice, Community, Tradition
Served His Way

Ask for a lot with a knowing smile,
Cajole with a dry wit,
Push those hardest
Whom you respect the most
...then ask for more.

Victor LaPuma Miceli, born in Meadville, Pennsylvania in the spring of 1928, drove himself and those around him toward a greater sense of community; in this, he was relentless. In his smile, captured so perfectly here, we see his confident cajole, “Come, you know I’m right.” Through his encouragement, we restored historic buildings, revitalized state parks, and preserved decaying cemeteries. And then, as if on cue, we received that Miceli smile.

Born to a Sicilian immigrant who took an Italian-American bride, Victor and his four brothers spent their formative years learning the value of hard work in the family produce business. After graduation from Allegheny College, he studied Law at the University of Pittsburg, graduating in 1952. He served two years in the US Army (JAG) then returned to Meadville and practiced law from 1954 to 1961. When Victor heard from a friend that, “He could starve just as well in the California sunshine...” attorney Miceli made his way to Riverside and joined the firm of Shaw and Morgan. In 1965, the firm became Morgan and Miceli. In 1981, when Morgan was promoted to the bench, Victor continued as a sole practitioner. Five years later, Governor Deukmejian appointed him to the Superior Court where he served until his retirement in May 2001. Judge Miceli served as the Presiding Judge of the Riverside Superior Court from 1989 to 1992. He was well known and respected for his leadership on the bench and in various civic projects including the restoration of the Riverside Superior Court House, the $100 million state and federal Riverside justice center, the revitalization of Riverside’s Citrus Park, and the ongoing project to restore and preserve Evergreen Memorial Historic Cemetery.

From the charities he has husbanded to his coveted birdhouses, we have grown to love the evidence that remains of the depth of Victor’s heart. As you wander through Evergreen Memorial Historic Cemetery, look around you at the thousands here who were your neighbors in the past. This is a community; this is what Victor wanted us all to cherish and preserve. He insisted on it, and he made it so. Victor loved his community—his wife Bernice, sons John and Victor, his extended family, friends, and greater Riverside. While he struggled on our behalf, he never lost faith in our ability to recognize and support his visions. As time moves on, we will miss him more and more. As we nourish the community he cherished, we can all be confident his smile will endure.