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Don Vaughn Tibbs Jr. was a man who knew what he wanted, his son says.

Tibbs argued his way into law school, foreshadowing a successful career as a lawyer and judge in central Utah.

He died Nov. 20 at age 92.

After a World War II shrapnel injury ended Tibbs' military career — which would earn him a Purple Heart, the Bronze Star for heroism and two battle stars on war ribbons — the GI Bill aptitude test found that he thought like an engineer, his son David Tibbs said, and officials told him that if he wanted the GI money, he had to be an engineer.

But he wouldn't give in and eventually was permitted to attend the University of Utah law school through the GI program.

"He showed me how important it was that you follow your dreams," David Tibbs said. "Don't let other people dictate what you do."

While in school, Tibbs dated Marjorie Janet James, whom he married in 1948. They had five children and were married for 63 years before she died in 2011.

During law school, Tibbs also befriended fellow veteran and law student Jackson Howard, who remained close to him for more than 70 years.

Howard, who continued to visit Tibbs until his death, remembers his friend as someone with "common objectives."

After graduation, Tibbs moved to Manti to work and would become the Sanpete County attorney — a position he filled for 12 years.

Tibbs opened a firm with Louis G. Tervort before being appointed as a 6th District judge in 1973.

In the 23 years Tibbs was on the bench, Howard said, he became known in his district as a "patriot" and "paradigm" to whom leaders could turn for advice because of his "ability and integrity."

"In the courtroom, Don was a scholar," Howard said, "and he was a fair but stern judge."

Sometimes Tibbs clashed with people in the courtroom. In several cases, Tibbs ruled that drugs could not be used as evidence in court, deciding that officers had violated motorists' civil rights when collecting them.

During one hearing, veteran Sevier County sheriff's Deputy Phil Barney, who had scores of drug busts, stomped out of the courtroom. Tibbs was angry.

"I'm offended this officer gets up and walks out in the middle of the hearing with great disgust to this court," he said. "I'm absolutely offended! Sheriff, you're sitting back there. I want you to notice I am offended.' "

Later, the judge added: "And if I have to make these types of rulings to stop illegal searches, that's what I'm going to do."

The Sevier County sheriff filed an affidavit of prejudice against Tibbs in 1990, saying he was biased against officers who stopped cars and found drugs, but a 4th District judge rejected the affidavit.

Salt Lake City-based defense attorney Ron Yengich remembers presenting many cases before Tibbs.

"The thing about Judge Tibbs that I always loved was, win or lose in his courtroom, he was never demeaning to lawyers or the parties," Yengich said. "You knew you had a fair shake. You knew you had a fair ruling."

Yengich remembers Tibbs as a man with "a great judicial demeanor" and "a really good sense of humor."

"He was somebody that factored mercy into the justice equation but knew the laws and the intent behind them," he added. "I had the greatest admiration for that."

Tibbs also seemed to keep his biases in check in the courtroom, Yengich said, noting that he hadn't realized the judge served as Manti and Sanpete County Republican Party chairman until reading Tibbs' obituary.

"You never got any of that from the bench," Yengich said. "I just thought, ultimately, he was a wonderful human being."

Later in life, David Tibbs said, his father worked in an LDS temple. Once, while working there, he was approached by a man whom he had sentenced to prison years earlier.

The man, David Tibbs recounted, told Tibbs who he was and said, "Judge, I remember when you were sentencing me to prison, you told me, 'You can go in there, get caught up in the prison environment, waste your life away and continue to become a criminal — or you can take this opportunity to change your life and become a good citizen.' "

The man was astounded that the judge "saw enough in [him] to give [him] that talk," and it changed the man's life, David Tibbs said.

The judge was someone respected by "everybody in the community," Howard said.

"I bet everybody in Manti will be at his funeral Monday," Howard said. "I bet there won't be room at the cemetery because everyone will be there."

Funeral services for Tibbs are set for Monday at 11 a.m. at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Manti Stake Center, 555 E. Union St. Friends are invited to visit with the family Sunday from 5 to 7 p.m. or Monday from 9 to 10:30 a.m. The burial will be in the Manti City Cemetery with military honors provided by Manti American Legion Post 31. mnoble@sltrib.com

Twitter: @mnoblenews