Abe Bahgat

Abe Bahgat, age 82, died Oct. 30, 2020, at Riverside Hospital surrounded by loved ones. Abe was born Nov. 17, 1937 in Alexandria, Egypt to parents Yousef and Aisha. There, he was educated in law and was a member of the Cairo Bar. On Apr. 24, 1968, Abe immigrated to the U.S., and settled in Columbus, working as a juvenile probation officer while attending Capital and Xavier Universities where he obtained an M.S. in Criminal Justice, and was then employed by the Ohio Adult Parole Authority. With his strong work ethic and value for self-improvement, Abe obtained his real estate license in 1978, then sat for the Ohio Bar Exam, which he passed in 1987, and was admitted as a foreign law school graduate, all while balancing his career as a parole officer. Also in 1987, he became a licensed real estate broker and founded The Buyer’s Advocate, as well as opening his private law practice. In 1991, Abe left the Parole Authority for the Ohio Department of Insurance, from which he retired in 1999 as Chief Investigation Administrator. He continued to practice law until this past August at his private practice, catty-corner from the Franklin County Courthouse. In his later years, Abe loved ballroom dancing and traveling abroad to experience different cultures. Abe was a 32nd Degree Mason and member of the Aladdin Shrine Temple where he spent many New Year’s Eves dancing. He was a proud member of the Columbus Board of Realtors, Columbus and Ohio State Bar Associations, as well as Central Ohio Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and Central Ohio Association of Juvenile Lawyers. Abe is survived by his long-time partner, Karen Panetti, his four sons: Joe (grandsons Jack & Luke) who practices law in PA, NJ, and Ohio; Eric (Michelle), founder of Colorado Mtn Sports; Adam, hairdresser & founder of Adam B. Studio; and David, a talented play director & public school teacher. Additionally, his sister, Fatma Kasheer, nephews, Khaled Bahgat (Mindy), Ahmed Kasheer (Amal), Mohamed Kasheer (Renee), nieces Enaas Kasheer, M.D. (Khaled), and Sahar Bahgat Omran (Khaled), as well as a large, extended family both in the U.S. and in Egypt. In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial donation to the Justice for Children Project at The Ohio State University College of Law (address and more info available at https://prv.ac/Abe).  Memorial Service to follow at a later date.