James J. McClure Jr., age 97, of Evanston, formerly of Oak Park, veteran U.S. Navy, WW II; beloved husband of the late Lynn, nee Phelps; loving father of John P. "Jack" McClure, Julie (Fred) Giegler and Donald S. (Ruth) McClure; cherished grandfather of Jamison (Cody) Cornett and Corey (Danae) McClure, Andrew (Katie) and Laura Giegler, and Christine and Margaret McClure; great-grandfather of Evan Giegler; dear brother of the late John Baker McClure.
Obituaries
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January 18, 2018 |
People
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January 16, 2018 |
People
Jack Feirich
John C. (Jack) Feirich, 85 years of age, of Spokane, Washington and formerly of Sandpoint, Idaho; Scottsdale, Arizona; Naples, Florida; and Carbondale, Illinois passed away Jan. 14 after a year-long battle with cancer. He was born Jan. 2, 1933 in Chicago, Illinois, the son of John K. and Mary M. Feirich.
He is survived by his wife, C. Kay Feirich, two children, John Charles Feirich of Oceanside, California and Elizabeth Feirich Nebot of Sausalito, California, three grandchildren, four great grandchildren all of Vista, California, sister, Gretchen Lewellyn, Scottsdale, AZ, stepson, Jeffrey Brummer (Alisa) of Fairview, Oregon and two step-grandchildren.
John attended Northwestern University and the University of Illinois College of Law, and thereafter engaged in the private practice of law in Carbondale with his father and grandfather. He continued practicing law in Carbondale until he retired in 1988. He then moved to Naples, Florida, where he pursued his love of sailing in retirement and met and married his wife Kay. After many years, they moved to the Pacific Northwest; first to Idaho and then to Washington, where they became avid golfers. John also spent five years attempting to obtain authority from the State of Washington to rebuild David Thompson's Historic Trading Post.
During his legal career, he gave freely of his time for the betterment of the legal profession and for the benefit of those members of the public who needed lawyers but could not afford them. He co-founded the Lawyer's Trust Fund of Illinois that has raised millions of dollars to provide legal services for those needy persons.
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January 3, 2018 |
People
George W. Brannen passed away December 1, 2017. He is survived by his wife, Patricia; his two stepsons, Christopher Renner and Douglas Renner. He was a loving husband and caring stepfather. George was raised in Geneva, IL, where he attended Elgin Academy and went on to graduate from Dartmouth College and Duke University Law School. After graduating from Duke, George practiced law in the Chicago area and became a well-respected trial lawyer where he handled many complicated cases in Kane, DuPage, and Cook counties. George was a tireless working and transferred that ethic to his personal life. His energy and zest for life is one of inspiration that he shared with his family and friends. George loved traveling with the family, sports, reading and fun times with everyone, including strangers. George will always be remembered for his perseverance and will to live. He beat the odds with multiple health issues dating back to his battle with stage 4 cancer when he was 23. We feel so blessed that George had the strength and courage to fight through these ailments to share his life with us. He was truly a unique and remarkable person and will be missed, remembered and loved forever.
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December 19, 2017 |
People
Norbert L. Gold, age 93, of Winnetka died peacefully at Evanston Hospital surrounded by his loving family. A diabetic for 77 years, he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 16. His doctors did not think he would live past the age of 30, but he mastered his health by watching his diet and taking his insulin as directed. His health was a challenge in his later years, but he was grateful to the Winnetka Paramedics for always saving his life. In 2004, Eli Lilly honored him with a special recognition for being a diabetic for over 70 years on insulin therapy.
He graduated from Northwestern University, majoring in English & History, and then received his law degree from John Marshall Law School. He had a long and successful career as an attorney and a real estate appraiser. He worked as an attorney for the Illinois Highway Dept., purchasing farmland for the construction of Highway I-55. He then joined Litton Industries as an attorney and director where he purchased and sold over 100 properties in the Midwest area. While practicing law, he established his own real estate appraisal and brokerage firm where he appraised over 20,000 properties in Chicago, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indiana, Ohio, L.A., and for many banks in the Chicagoland area. He served as an expert witness on property values in Lake and Cook County Courts and Federal Bankruptcy Courts.
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December 19, 2017 |
People
Mark S. Sargent, 65, of Manitowoc, WI, formerly of Springfield on November 12, at The Felician Village, Manitowoc, Wisconsin.
Mark was born on September 2, 1952 in Springfield, he son of Marian Kienzler Sargent and Steven O. Sargent. He attended Campion High School in Prairie Du Chein, WI and Washington University, St Louis, MO where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctorate.
Mark practiced law in Springfield. He was preceeded in death by his parents. A devoted Roman Catholic, Mark enjoyed gardening, music, reading and spending time with his family.
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December 19, 2017 |
People
Charles S. Watson, 61, of Springfield, died on November 15, 2017.
Charles was born September 27, 1956, in Peoria, the son of Judge James R. and Caroline Shinkle Watson. He married Sarah Seiler on July 28, 1979 in Pana, IL.
Charles earned his bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Illinois in Champaign in 1980, and was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. He then went on to earn his J.D. from Drake University Law School in Des Moines, IA in 1983. After moving to Springfield, Charles joined the Office of the Attorney General as an attorney and finished his career in private practice. He was a member of First Presbyterian Church, Sangamon County Bar Association, Illinois State Bar Association, and American Bar Association. Charles also was president of the Sojourn Shelter and Services Board and was a board member and past president of the board for Springfield Center for Independent Living from 2016–2017. He loved cooking, photography, and anything about Abraham Lincoln.
1 comment (Most recent December 21, 2017) -
December 19, 2017 |
People
R. Gerald Barris, 77, of Springfield, passed away on Monday, Nov. 27 at his residence. Jerry was born on January 26, 1940 in Elwood, IN, the son of Harold E. and Ruth Allen Barris. He married Carolyn Evans on May 17, 1964 in Springfield.
Jerry graduated from Rich Township East High School in Park Forest, IL in 1958. He then attended Denison University and after graduating from there in 1962, he served as a Ford Fellow and one of the first legislative interns with the Illinois General Assembly from 1962-63. He enlisted as a private in the U.S. Army in 1963, attended Officer Candidate School in Ft. Benning, GA and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1964. He served a two-year tour of duty in Munich, Germany, for the U.S. Army Intelligence. He was honorably discharged as a first lieutenant in 1966.
Jerry received his J.D. from Washington University in 1969 and joined Sorling Northrup of Springfield in 1972. He was a past chairperson of the Civil Practice and Procedure Section of the Illinois State Bar Association. He was a barrister and past president of the Lincoln-Douglas American Inn of Courts. Jerry was a member of the American Bar Association, The American Association for Justice, Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, and Defense Research Institute. Most recently, Jerry was the director of property management for the Secretary of State.
In his spare time, he enjoyed gardening, watching sporting events, tennis, and rollerblading. However, his favorite pastime was spending time with his grandchildren.
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December 19, 2017 |
People
Allen Frederick Bennett, 74, of Windsor, Illinois and resident circuit judge of Shelby County, 4th Judicial Circuit, passed away Wednesday, Nov.29, 2017.
Allen was born in Mt. Vernon, Illinois, on August 29, 1943, to the late Leo and Donna (Hood) Bennett. The loss of Allen is deeply mourned by his wife, Tina (Lewis) Bennett; children: Tammera Kay McClendon, Allen (Christi) Bennett II, and Trina (Kevin) Bedlington; eight grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; sisters: Katie (Byron) Cartwright, Sally (Jim) Hooten and a host of nieces and nephews.
Preceding Allen in death were his parents, Leo and Donna and his sister, Suzie (Bennett) Rudin.
Judge Bennett graduated with a business commerce degree from the University of Illinois. He attended law school at the University of Tennessee and received his J.D. in 1967. Judge Bennett was elected state's attorney in Moultrie County starting in 1968. Later he served as a public defender in Macon County. He was elected state representative from Decatur, Illinois, in 1976 serving one term. Allen also served as an assistant attorney general. Allen was a lobbyist for the Fraternal Order of Police, Troopers Lodge #41. Over the years he practiced law privately in Sullivan, Decatur, Springfield, and Shelbyville. He was elected resident circuit judge of Shelby County 4th Circuit in 2012.
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December 15, 2017 |
People
Mike G. Patramanis, 82, of Moline, Illinois, passed away Thursday, November 23, 2017, at Clarissa C. Cook Hospice House, Bettendorf, Iowa, surrounded by his family.
Mike was born on December 12, 1934, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the son of George and Afrodite Ganakakis Patramanis. He graduated from McKinley High School in Cedar Rapids and subsequently from Coe College with a B.A. Degree in Political Science and Economics. While at Coe, he was elected to membership in Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Societies. Mike was active in sports and lettered in tennis at both McKinley and Coe. After Coe, he attended the University of Iowa Law School. where he graduated in 1959 with a Juris Doctor Degree.
Mike married Vickie Leousi on June 21, 1964, in Peoria, Illinois. They were married for 53 years and had one son, Dr. George Patramanis, who was born in 1968. George and his wife, Alexia, have three daughters, who have been a joy to their Papou.
In 1959, Mike began his legal career as staff counsel for Collins Radio Company in Cedar Rapids. In 1964, he moved on to a position at the Rock Island Arsenal as a government attorney with the U.S. Army Weapons Command. During his years with the government, he worked for the various commands on the island holding positions of chief and acting chief counsel. He received numerous honors and awards including the commander’s award for Civilian Service and the award for Meritorious Civilian Service. He retired from the U.S. Army Field Support Command in June 2005 after 42 years of Government services.
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December 15, 2017 |
People
Robert Chapman Buckley, retired Justice of the Illinois Appellate Court, was born on August 14, 1923, in Canton, Illinois to Peter Mark and Marguerite nee Waugh Buckley. He died Tuesday, November 28, 2017, surrounded by family in Arlington Heights, Illinois.
Justice Buckley attended St. Mel High School in Chicago. After attending Morton Junior College, Justice Buckley enlisted in the Army and immediately joined the Army Air Corps. He served as a pilot, navigator, and radar operator for the 305th Bomb Group, flying daytime raids in B-17 bombers out of Chelveston, England. He was recognized for his service with the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the European Theatre Ribbon with four battle stars, and the Army Commendation Ribbon.
After the war, Justice Buckley returned home and graduated from De Paul University and then went on to Georgetown University, from which his received his Juris Doctorate degree and was a member of the legal fraternity Phi Alpha Delta. While a full-time law student, he worked nights at the U.S. Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C. as a Capitol Police Officer.
The day he opened his law office in Chicago, Justice Buckley, then an Air Force reservist, was called to serve in the Korean conflict. He left once again, this time to fly jet refuelers.