John Noble Iurino

John Noble Iurino passed away surrounded by family in Tucson, Arizona, on November 18, 2024. 

John was born in Syracuse, New York in 1954. His parents were Noble James Iurino and Mary Alice (Oot)Iurino; his paternal grandparents were John R. Iurino and Doris Amanda Iurino. He is survived by two sisters, Ellen Mary (Iurino) Powers, Martha Amanda (Iurino) Obrycki, and his brother Thomas James Iurino. He graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1976 with a B.A. in Philosophy, and he received his J.D. degree from theUniversity of Virginia in 1980. After law school, he joined the law firm Lewis and Roca in Phoenix, Arizona. He was fortunate to be mentored in his early years by many excellent Lewis and Roca lawyers, including Joseph E. McGarry, John P. Frank, Peter Baird, and Tom Galbraith. He moved to Tucson in 1983, where had the pleasure of practicing with Si Schorr, and re-joined Lewis and Roca, when the firm opened its Tucson office in 1988. He and his best friend, fellow partner Gabriel Beckmann, practiced together in the Tucson Lewis and Roca office for many years. In 2018, John left to join the City of Tucson City Manager’s Office, led by Michael Ortega.

John was a brilliant trial attorney and received much local and national recognition for his work. He was also a gardener, photographer, teacher, exceptional cook, and mentor to many. He was a constant figure at Tucson Gregory School theater productions and Varsity Basketball games from 2017 to 2023. He grew to love opera in his later years –almost as much as his love for Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen – attending yearly productions at the Santa Fe Opera with his spouse.

For all of his professional achievements, John’s family was always the center of his life. He leaves behind beloveds: wife, poet and lawyer Joni Marie Wallace, daughter Kathryn M. Iurino, Ph.D, daughter Charlotte L. Iurino, Ph.D, daughter Lucia M. Iurino, an undergraduate majoring in Classics and Music at St. Olaf College, son John Renzo (Renz) Iurino, an undergraduate at Grinnell College studying English and Spanish literature, and his first a granddaughter, Gemma Encinas Iurino, born in 2023.  

Family services to be held at a later date. 

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the American Cancer Society and/or the Glioblastoma Foundation.