Richard Lewis Unis

Richard Louis Unis, 87, passed away on February 10, 2016 at Mount Hood Legacy Hospital in Gresham, Oregon. Born on June 11, 1928 in Portland, Oregon to Josephine and Louis Abraham Unis, Richard Unis grew up in southeast Portland, Oregon and graduated from Franklin High School. After high school he attended the University of Oregon on a full basketball scholarship. In 1953 he graduated from the University of Oregon Law School in Eugene, Oregon. In 1955 he served for two years as a lieutenant in the United States Air Force and retired from the United States Air Force Reserve in 1962 achieving the rank of a captain.

In 1968 Unis began serving as a Municipal Court Judge for Portland, remaining at that position until 1971. That year the court merged with the county District Court where he served until 1976. In 1969 he began teaching at the Northwestern College of Law at Lewis and Clark College, while also teaching at the National Judicial College in Reno, Nevada, which he continued for over a period of nineteen years. In January 1977 Richard Unis was appointed to the State Circuit Court. In 1990, Unis was appointed to the Oregon Supreme Court and then later in 1990 won a full six-year term on the state’s highest court. In 1996 he became a Federal Judge and retired at the age of 79.

In 1999 The American Judicature Society presented Unis with the national Herbert Harley Award for his “outstanding efforts and contributions that substantially changed and improved the administration of justice in their states.” Unis became known as the “Uni fax” for his encyclopedic knowledge of appellate rulings in many aspects of the law and famous in Oregon amoung members of the American Bar Association for treating lawyers and parties compassionately in his court.

Richard Unis was known as fair and tolerant – no matter what court he was on - and formed the ABA (Attorney's Basketball Association) “HOTPANTS” team, which stands for Heroic Order of Tribunals, Plaintiffs, Attorneys, Notaries, and Talented Solicitors.He would play an hour's worth of basketball at lunch time, which became one of his well known stress reducing techniques. Where he might have a really tough case where both lawyers might be really hot under the collar, Unis would just sit there calm and collected and say “its the basketball....” (or the carrot juice, as his diet emphasized health food before this became popular).

Richard Unis married his wife Gloria Lenore Schuster on March 23, 1952 in Portland, Oregon. They were happily married for 63 years and gave birth to one son Maurice Unis and one daughter Lori Unis Ryland. As a child Lori Unis would wash his giant bags of fifty pounds of carrots for his well known favorite drink that he liked to drink every day mid day. As a child Maurice Unis was an avid basketball player like his father. Maurice Unis is now the owner of Classic Pianos in Portland with his three sons, Brian, Taylor, and Aaron who now are following in their fathers footsteps, with their spouses and children, Brians' wife Adrianne, and their children Andrew, Maci, and Jaden, and Taylor and his wife Maisie and Aaron and his wife Lynn. Lori Unis Ryland owns loriryland.com ART STUDIO & GALLERY in Sandy and is a well known prominent artist, who was guided into art by her mother Gloria Unis.

Richard Unis is survived by his older sister Eva Unis.

A “Celebration of his Life” party will be held at Shirley's Tippy Canoe Resturant on Wednesday February 24 from 5 - 8 PM. The address for Tippy Canoe is 28242 Historic Columbia River Hwy, Troutdale, Oregon. Food and beverages will be served and a no host bar will be available. Everyone is welcome.