Thomas Cushing Kleinschmidt

Judge Thomas Cushing Kleinschmidt died in Phoenix on January 7, 2026. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1938, the son of Dr. Clinton Kleinschmidt and his wife Olivia Kelly Kleinschmidt. He was raised in Clayton, Missouri and graduated from Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. After college he earned his J.D. degree from Duke University, and completed a Master of Laws degree at the University of Virginia in 1986.

Tom moved to Phoenix in 1966, where he began his law career with the firm of Jennings, Strouss and Salmon. In 1971, he became an assistant Federal Public Defender for the District of Arizona. He was appointed to the Maricopa County Superior Court in 1977, where he served for five years, two of which were as the Presiding Civil Judge. In 1982, he was appointed to the Arizona Court of Appeals for Division One. He was the Chief Judge of Division One from 1994 to 1996, and remained with the Court of Appeals until 2000. After retiring from the court, Tom was of counsel to the firm of Schneider & Onofry and served as a private mediator and arbitrator.

During his years on the bench, Tom's mastery of law and legal process, leavened by a deeply ingrained sense of fairness, drew him the admiration of colleagues at every level of the judiciary and of the many lawyers who knew his work. Tom was also a natural storyteller, graced with humor and animated by love of history and seemingly bottomless curiosity about life and the lives of others. These qualities brought him great affection from colleagues in law, as well as the many others who got to know him through the years.

Beyond his professional work, Tom served on the Duke University School of Law Board of Visitors, chaired various legal committees, gladly officiated many weddings, and was an active participant in Reading for the Blind, Literacy Volunteers of Maricopa County, and The Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

For 46 years Tom was married to Margaret Gillson Kleinschmidt, about whom he declared, “Where Margy is, the sun is always shining.” Preceded in death by Margy, his parents, and his brother John, he is survived by his daughters Anne who is married to Curtis Ingram, Mary who is married to Kirk Ostrowski, his four grandchildren, Henry Ingram, Emily Ingram, Benjamin Ostrowski, and Nathan Ostrowski, and his much-loved dog, Loki. Tom’s family and many friends will remember him for, and were enriched by, his love of books, his joy in the outdoors and his countless Arizona adventures, and his steady way of helping others.

No service has been arranged at this time.

Donations in his memory may be made to The Society of St. Vincent de Paul. [email protected]