"All in the family for four generations"
In 1904, Fred Gribbell opened an office above the old post office (now the west side of the law office) doing abstracts of title, loans, collections, mortgages, and selling real estate and insurance for which he did not need a law degree. His business was named the Deshler Business Exchange.
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In 1908, Fred purchased a motorcycle and commuted to law classes in Ada. Fred graduated in 1911 from law school at Ohio Northern University and began to practice law.
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In 1939, Fred’s son, Justin J. Gribbell, graduated from The Ohio State University’s College of Law and joined the practice. During WWII, Justin served in the Army Air Corps radar unit. Fred, who was in failing health, kept the office operating while Justin was gone. After suffering several strokes, he was no longer able to practice, and he died in 1949.
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In the early 1950s, Justin built the one-story brick building at 114 E. Main Street in Deshler, the eastern part of the current location. Justin maintained a solo practice until 1979 when his son-in-law, John D. Sunderman, graduated from The University of Toledo College of Law, and became a partner. Before becoming an attorney, John taught school in Findlay and then Rossford for eight years.
In January of 1982, John S. Collier, also a graduate of the University of Toledo College of Law, became a partner and Mr. Gribbell retired. Mr. Collier was also Village Solicitor for Deshler and several other area communities. John Collier previously worked at law firms in Bowling Green and Toledo. He and John Sunderman, though both from Deshler, met in a Criminal law class at UT.
In 1998, the firm expanded its office into the adjoining building to the west. It was the building that was once the post office on the ground floor, and where Fred Gribbell had occupied the upstairs office from 1904 until 1938.
John Collier became the Municipal Judge of Henry County, while still a partner, and maintained that position from 1995 to 2005. At that time, he moved to a full-time position as Municipal Judge and later became Judge of the Henry County Court of Common Pleas, which position he retired from in September of 2021.
James (Jim) D. Rode, son-in-law of John Sunderman, joined the firm upon completion of his degree at The University of Toledo College of Law in 1999 and became a partner in 2006. Prior to that time, he had worked as an assistant branch manager at Standard Federal Bank in Toledo.
Anthony (Tony) C. Johnson resides near his hometown of Napoleon, he graduated from Purdue University and then from the University of Toledo college of Law. He joined the practice in 2016.
John Sunderman retired in 2019, and Jim became the sole owner of the law firm. Our law office has changed names over the years to reflect the new partnerships, but family members for four generations have served the community for approximately 120 years.
By Karen Sunderman