In Loving Memor of Anthony Joseph Urban
Oct 31, 1935 — Aug 14, 2026
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Obituary
Anthony Joseph Urban, Esquire, 90, of Siesta Key, Sarasota, Florida, a lawyer, businessman, teacher, professor, benefactor, friend, husband, father, and grandfather, formerly of Mahanoy City and Fountain Springs, passed away peacefully on Friday, August 14, 2026, surrounded by his family in the homestead he built in Butler Township. He lived a remarkably full life, defined by exceptional intellect, an insatiable curiosity, a fierce commitment to justice and his faith, and, above all, a deep love for his family and the people around him.
Mr. Urban was born at home on October 31, 1935, in a Lithuanian neighborhood of Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania, to Anthony J. Urban, a coal miner, and Kathryn Marion Walinchus. He was the youngest of three children, following his two beloved sisters, Lois and Irene, both of whom predeceased him. As were the times, finances were strained, and the family was compelled to accept three boarders into their home to make ends meet. He spoke Lithuanian, attended St. Joseph’s School, and graduated from Mahanoy City High School in 1953, where he lettered in basketball.
Mr. Urban attended Penn State University Park campus, graduating in 1957 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. He then attended Temple University School of Law while simultaneously teaching in the Philadelphia public school system, receiving his law degree in 1961. After law school, he continued his graduate studies and worked at the Temple University Unit in Law & Psychiatry.
In 1962, Mr. Urban was admitted to practice before the Pennsylvania Superior and Supreme Courts and the United States District Courts. He returned to Mahanoy City and began a wide-ranging legal career spanning more than six decades. What began as a one-year clerkship under President Judge Curran, Mr. Urban’s preceptor and mentor persuasively extended to four years. In 1962, he was appointed to his first murder trial, and in 1965, he was appointed a United States Commissioner.
He served as a public defender for nearly five decades and facilitated the unionization of that office in 1968. He was admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court in 1995 and tried scores upon scores of criminal and civil jury trials to verdict. He was among only seven attorneys in Pennsylvania and 25 nationally to hold dual board certifications as both a civil and criminal trial advocate through the National Board of Trial Advocacy. He also served as a hearing committee chairman of the Pennsylvania Disciplinary Board.
In the mid-1990s, he returned to Temple Law School as an adjunct professor in the LL.M. Trial Advocacy program. Teaching and mentoring young lawyers became one of the great pleasures of his professional life. He coached aspiring lawyers in mock trial competitions and guided newly licensed attorneys as they learned to build and prove their cases.
Mr. Urban was also Assistant General Counsel to Reading Anthracite for three decades and General Counsel to Service Electric for nearly 40 years. He founded the Law Offices of Anthony Urban, P.C., which continues today under the leadership of his two oldest sons.
Although he handled a wide variety of legal matters, Mr. Urban especially enjoyed fighting for justice and protecting the rights of the injured and disadvantaged. He never forgot that the files on his office desk represented more than just papers—they represented a person or a family in need. That belief shaped both his legal career and the way he lived his life.
His interests extended far beyond the law. Mr. Urban was a licensed real estate broker and served as President of Holden Insurance Company in St. Clair and Schuylkill Realty, Inc., in Ashland. He was a director of the former Schuylkill Savings and Loan of Ashland and Schuylkill Haven. He owned the Brewers Outlet in the Kings Plaza, Minersville, and “Carduff’s” Service Station in Ashland for more than 30 years.
He was passionate about education and never lost touch with where he came from. Through the Urban Scholarship Fund, which he established, he awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years to graduates of Mahanoy Area High School to further their university studies based upon merit and need. He also received the Pennsylvania Governor’s Highway Safety Award for his self-financed billboard campaign against drunk driving.
But those who knew Mr. Urban best will remember far more than his professional accomplishments.
Born on Halloween, October 31 was never simply his birthday. He was notorious for going “all-out” on Halloween. He was an avid reader of virtually every genre and, even near the end of his life, retained the astonishing ability to recite poetry and passages he had read 70 years earlier in college. He earned his private pilot’s license in 1965. He traveled extensively throughout the world and, as a self-taught and talented painter, captured in his artwork the people and places that moved him during those travels.
He loved listening to laughter and seeing others enjoy themselves. He loved sitting down with people and hearing about their experiences. If asked, he would freely offer his wisdom and sage advice. He helped countless people through difficult times, often quietly and without seeking recognition.
He was a lifelong, and often exasperated, Penn State Nittany Lions fan, and he faithfully rooted for the Phillies through their ups and downs. He liked antique clocks and watches. He loved sunflowers, oysters, and cocktails. He could talk about nearly anything, and he had a way of making people feel that their story was worth hearing.
Most of all, he loved his family with all of his heart. He was generous with his time, his talents, and his treasure, and those gifts were not reserved for any particular part of his life. He gave them freely to his children and grandchildren, to his friends, to his clients, and to people who simply needed someone to listen.
Mr. Urban was preceded in death by his parents and sisters and by the love of his life, Susan Irene, née Smeigh. He first met Susan when she was his attending nurse after he awoke from surgery. Their meeting marked the beginning of a lifelong love and partnership.
He is survived by his three sons, Anthony James Urban, Esquire, and Brian Joseph Urban, Esquire (Lynn Babbitt, MSPT), both of Butler Township, and Christopher Jonathan Urban, Esquire (Joseph Sena, Esquire), of Media, Pennsylvania; his daughter, Kathryn Suzanne (William) Duggan, OTR/L, of St. Augustine, Florida; and his six grandchildren, Wesley, Adelaide, Henry, Teagan, Rory, and Quinn. He is also survived by nieces and nephews, cousins, and his godson, Timothy (Megan) Demko of Frackville.
The family is eternally grateful to the many helpers, care workers, and prayer warriors who allowed Mr. Urban to remain independent and who, over time, became like family to him.
Mr. Urban was a lifelong Roman Catholic who remained fearlessly faithful and focused on his Lord and Savior. He was a member of the former St. Joseph’s Church in Mahanoy City, St. Charles Borromeo in Ashland, and, most recently, St. Thomas More in Sarasota.
Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to the Louis D. Truskowsky Funeral Home & Crematory Inc. of Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania. A private Catholic funeral Mass was held on the morning of Monday, August 17, with Fr. Christopher M. Zelonis of St. Charles Borromeo Church, presiding. The family will celebrate his life with a public Mass in Fall 2026.
Mr. Urban spent his life trying to make the world a better place through his work, his generosity, his advocacy, his faith, and the simple act of giving his time to others. In keeping with that spirit, the family respectfully asks that, in his memory and in lieu of flowers, you perform an act of kindness, spend time with someone you love, or share your time, talent, or treasure with a cause meaningful to you. Listen to laughter, be considerate, marvel at the sunflowers, and enjoy some oysters and a cocktail with friends.
For those who still wish to make a donation in his memory, the family requests that consideration be given to the Schuylkill County Bar Association Scholarship Fund, which supports the education and development of young, local lawyers.