Curtis E. Renoe's Obituary
The Honorable Curtis E. Renoe, Federal Administrative Law Judge, passed away in his judicial chambers on Coast Guard Island in the Oakland Estuary unexpectedly on Feb. 4, 2019. Only 48 years of age, he enjoyed good health and was regarded as a formidable player in recent soccer matches among his Coast Guard colleagues. He was widely respected nationally among his fellow judges for his legal competence, high integrity, compassion, and the general excellence of his opinions and decisions. In his personal life, he was not only a devoted husband and father but best friend to his wife and children, who are shocked and devastated by his loss. The family resides in Berkeley and is especially appreciative of the help and support of neighbors, friends, and the school communities of Prospect Sierra, Head-Royce, and Berkeley High School.
Curtis’s outstanding judicial record matches his educational and scholarly achievements: B.A. degree in Latin and Anthropology from Emory University, 1992; M.A. in Anthropology from the University of South Carolina, 1994; Ph.D. in Anthropology from Yale University, 2002; J.D. from Stanford University School of Law in 2003. His dissertation at Yale is “Legal Texts and Truths: The Interactive Production of Fact in Indonesian Criminal Trials.” He and his wife Cathryn often exchanged roles as Ph.D. candidates in anthropology and teaching responsibilities at Yale University. Drawn together by common interests in language and anthropology in graduate school, Curtis and his wife Cathryn spent more than a year and a half in their respective anthropological field studies in Indonesia, mostly in the interior highland region of Kerinci, Sumatra. Curtis also published studies in the International Journal for the Semiotics of Law, the Stanford Journal of East Asian Affairs, and Stanford Agora: An Online Journal of Legal Perspectives.
Prior to his appointment as a Coast Guard Administrative Law Judge, he served as an Administrative Law Judge for the Social Security Administration for two years. He conducted over 500 hearings, and 100% of his decisions taken to the Appeals Council were affirmed. Prior to joining the Social Security Administration, he worked for the Coast Guard’s Administrative Law Judge Program as an Attorney Advisor for nearly seven years. Judge Renoe began his legal career at the firm Cooley Godward Kronish LLP in San Francisco, CA, where he worked on complex commercial litigation and employment litigation. His roles as a lawyer extended to the theatrical stage. He joined dramatic actors from his family in annual appearances at the Dickens Fair in San Francisco, where he delighted crowds as a mercurial and quite eccentric Victorian barrister.
Curtis Renoe is survived by his wife of twenty-seven years Cathryn Houghton, his daughter Claire Houghton-Renoe, his son Arthur Houghton-Renoe, his father and mother John and Gabriela Renoe of Carrollton, Georgia, his sister Lisa Renoe in Seattle, her husband Rick Joseph and daughter Samara, Curtis’s brother Gerald Renoe, also in Georgia, and his children Brandon and Kelsey; among the Houghton family, his brother-in-law John Houghton in Los Gatos, John’s wife Jodi and daughter Kaleigh, and Curtis’s father-in-law Professor Edward Houghton in Santa Cruz.
A family memorial and celebration of his life is scheduled for Sunday, March 3, at 11 a.m., with reception to follow, at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave., Oakland, CA 94611; all family and friends are invited. Curtis was a lover of many things British, especially Dickensian wit and his own blend of Victorian formality, tradition, humor, and playfulness. Accordingly, we will honor his memory with a British tea reception after the service. In lieu of flowers, a contribution to Claire and Arthur’s college savings fund, as they follow their parents’ examples, would be both practical and appreciated.
The United States Coast Guard will hold a memorial ceremony for Administrative Law Judge Curtis Renoe on Friday, March 1, 2019, at 10:30 a.m. on Coast Guard Island, Alameda. Please note that only those who have already responded and can receive a security clearance will be allowed access to Coast Guard Island.
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