AUBURN | A Memorial Mass of Christian burial for Mr. Paul J. Luckern, a former resident of Auburn, will be held 10 a.m. Monday, May 7, in Holy Family Church, Auburn, with the Rev. John Gathenya, pastor, as celebrant. Paul Luckern, who retired in August 2011 as chief administrative law judge for the United States International Trade Commission, passed away in Washington, D.C. on Monday, Jan. 19, 2012. Born in Auburn, on Jan. 25, 1930, he was predeceased by his parents Thomas J. and Kathryn (Taney) Luckern; and his sister, Marie P. Luckern. He is survived by first cousins, Mary Luckern, of Geneva, and Alice Marie (Louis) LeBrun, of Waterloo, Alfred (Mary Ellen) Taney, of Geneva, Robert (Doris) Taney, of Geneva; many other relatives and many cherished friends and colleagues. He was also predeceased by several cousins, including Father Francis J. Taney, a Maryknoll Priest; Margaret Robinson, of Virginia, Roger and Eleanor Taney, of California, Cornelius Taney, of Tennessee., Pat Houlihan (John), of Rochester, Gerald (Ginny) Taney, of Rochester, Helen (Andy) Looten, of Phelps, and Mary Alice (Ray) Estep, of Phelps. Judge Luckern received a B.S. degree in chemistry from Georgetown University and an M.S. degree in organic chemistry from Cornell University. After working as a chemist in the private sector, he did further graduate work under a research grant and taught chemistry at the University of Southern California. Later, he served as a patent examiner in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He received a law degree from Georgetown University in 1959. After graduating from law school, he served as a technical advisor to the late Judge I. Jack Martin of the U.S. Court of Customs and Patent Appeals. Thereafter, he joined a New York City law firm and later served as a patent trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice. In 1981, he was appointed as an administrative law judge with the Social Security Administration in Pittsburgh, Pa. In 1984, he was appointed as administrative law judge with the U.S. International Trade Commission in Washington, D.C. and in 2008 he was named chief administrative law judge. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at St. Dominic Church, 630 E Street, SW, Washington, D.C. Interment will be in St. Joseph's Cemetery, Auburn. Contributions in his memory may be made to D.C. Catholic Charities www.catholiccharitiesdc.org or So Others Might Eat (S.O.M.E.) www.some.org Farrell's Funeral Service, Inc., 84 South St., Auburn.
