The Bar News

Bar News Sections

Obituaries

  • October 25, 2017 | People
    Edwin Frederick "Fritz" Goebig II 1953 - 2017

    Edwin Frederick "Fritz" Goebig II passed away in the company of family at home in Springfield after a long battle with cancer on Sunday, October 8, 2017. 

    He was born in the Detroit area suburbs on Easter Sunday, April 4, 1953. He was the only child of Victor Herbert Goebig and Evelyn Berneice Swartz. Mr. Goebig was a dedicated public servant, serving as an attorney for his entire professional career at the Legislative Reference Bureau with the Illinois General Assembly, eventually retiring as its deputy director and returning in the capacity of a senior counsel thereafter on a contractual basis. He was also one of the founding members of the Government Bar Association.

    1 comment (Most recent October 27, 2017)
  • October 25, 2017 | People
    Lewis D. Murphy 1929-2017

    Lewis D. Murphy, 88, of Monmouth, died Monday, Oct. 9, 2017, at his home. He was born July 2, 1929, in Monmouth, the son of former Illinois Supreme Court Justice Loren E. and Besse Ditto Murphy.

    He attended Monmouth public schools graduating from high school in 1947. He attended Monmouth College for three years and graduated from Bradley University in Peoria in 1951. He served in the United States Air Force from 1951 until 1955, achieving the rank of staff sergeant. He attended and graduated from Georgetown University Law School, Washington, D.C., in 1958. He commenced practicing law in the firm of Lauder and Murphy with Fredrick Lauder. During those years he was an assistant attorney general for Warren and Mercer Counties for the State of Illinois. He spent over 10 years as the government appeal agent for the local draft board. He spent many years as a member of the Warren County Library Board, a former member of the Elks Club, Illinois State Bar Association, the Henderson and Warren County Bar Associations and a lifetime member of the American Legion.

    In 1969 he was appointed as associate judge for the Ninth Judicial Circuit from which he retired in 1987. He was a member of the Illinois Judge's Association.

  • October 25, 2017 | People
    Daniel Rice 1949-2017

    Daniel (Dan) Joseph Rice, age 67, of Berwyn (formally of Forest Park and Oak Park) passed away on September 26, 2017. Dan was born at St. Anne Hospital in Chicago to parents Edward Francis Rice and Elizabeth Ann Conerty. Brother to siblings (late) Ed, Betty Ann, Eileen, John, Joan, Julie, Marilyn, and Tim. Dan is survived by his loving fiancé, Tamara (Tam) Trutwin; daughters Meagan and Bridget of second wife (late) Moira; and children Jennifer, Carrie, Matt and Kevin of first wife Madonna. Dan was a graduate of St. Ignatius College Prep, Loyola University and John Marshall Law School. Dan was a dedicated and hard-working attorney his entire career. He was sole-practitioner of his own law practice in both Oak Park and Forest Park for over 40 years where he ran a highly successful general practice. Memorial gathering private. 

  • October 23, 2017 | People
    Harold L. Turner Jr. 1943—2017

    Harold L. Turner Jr., was born and raised in Moline, Illinois. Hal earned his law degree from University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, and served as assistant state's attorney until he was drafted by the Army in 1967. Following his service in the Vietnam War, Hal established a law firm in Rockford, Illinois, where he practiced law for 40 years. After his retirement, he and his wife, Susan Turner moved to Denver, Colorado. Hal is survived by Susan, his wife of 49 years; his sons and daughters-in-law, Matt and Lori Turner and Ben and Lyric Turner; granddaughters, Lilia, Grace, and Ellery; twin sister, LuAnn Christiansen and sister, Mary Beth Turner; mother-in-law, Helen Milligan; brothers- and sisters-in-law, Michael and Theresa Milligan and Patrick and Connie Milligan; and numerous nieces and nephews. 

  • October 23, 2017 | People
    Dennis Rose 1947-2017

    Dennis Rose, born in East St. Louis, Illinois April 24, 1947, passed away September 17, 2017 at the age of 70 in St. Louis, Missouri. Mr. Rose's parents, William Edward Rose and Bertha Beatrice Rose (nee Oliver), preceded him in death. He is survived by the god children he adored, Annamarie Bindenagel Sehovic and Carl Bindenagel, their parents James D. and Jeanne Bindenagel, and by his many friends around the world too numerous to list. Mr. Rose attended the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in the teaching of social studies in 1969 and with a juris doctorate degree in 1972. Mr. Rose was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 1972 and the Missouri Bar in 1978. In addition, he was admitted to practice before the U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of Illinois, the Eastern District of Missouri, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, and the Illinois Supreme Court. He began the practice of law in 1973 retiring in 2007 as a Partner in the Belleville, Illinois firm bearing his name - Donovan Rose Nester & Joley PC. Mr. Rose was a member and Chairman of the Missouri Ethics Commission having been appointed by then Missouri State Governor Jay Nixon. He was a supporter of many arts and civic organizations including Forest Park Forever, Gateway Regions YMCA, Human Rights Campaign, St. Louis Art Museum, St.

  • October 23, 2017 | People
    Frederic F. Brace, Jr. 1934-2017

    Frederic F. Brace, Jr. "Fritz" was born in Greenville, Michigan on January 24, 1934 and passed away peacefully in Tucson, AZ on Monday, September 25, 2017. He was preceded in death by his parents Frederic F. Brace and Mary Louise Ranney and sister Millison Brace and is survived by sister Susan Lovell (Raymer). He was the beloved husband of Janet Brace (Punch), nee Kahlenberg and father of three sons and one daughter; Frederic F. Brace III (Jake) (Judy) of Aspen, CO, George K. Brace (Terry) of Harwood Heights, IL, Anthony R. Brace of Sleepy Hollow, IL and Mary Scharff (Eric) of Marietta, GA.; loving grandfather of Frederic F. Brace IV (Beau), Charlotte Brace, Marshall Brace, Sara Scharff and George Scharff. Fritz was a trial attorney specializing in antitrust law. He received his B.A. and J.D. from the University of Michigan (1959) and was Michigan Chapter of The Order of the Coif (1959). He then went to work in Chicago at the law firm of Sidley Austin Burgess and Smith (now known as Sidley Austin LLP). He was an associate attorney from 1959-1968 and became a partner in 1969. He left his position as a senior partner at Sidley Austin to begin his own successful law practice in 1981. 

  • October 23, 2017 | People
    Marian M. Higgins Donohue 1938-2017

    Marian M. Higgins Donohue, 78, of Quincy, died Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017, at her home.

    A daughter of Arthur R. and Emily Morey Gard Higgins, she was born Nov. 24, 1938, the eldest of nine children. She spent her childhood in Adams County and graduated from Quincy High School in 1956.

    Marian continued her education at Culver-Stockton College and University of Illinois. She took a break to rear a family of three boys in the Chicago area. During this time she was very active as a board member of the Algonquin Public Library. She also was a substitute teacher, was active in PTA and performed such functions as den mother and volunteering at her sons' schools.

    When her children were grown, she resumed her education, completing a bachelor's degree, and in 1983 earned a law degree from Chicago-Kent College of Law. Marian was licensed to practice law in Illinois and for a time in Missouri and other states. She was a member of the Illinois State Bar Association.

    Following law school she worked as a clerk for Illinois 1st District Appellate Court Judge James C. Murray, a position she found enlightening as well as fulfilling. In 1996, Marian moved back to the Quincy area and continued working in the area of law, editing and working on bar examinations and legal briefs.

  • October 3, 2017 | People
    Hon. David W. Watt Jr. 1943-2017

    Retired Judge of the 1st Judicial Circuit Court David W. Watt, Jr., 74, of Murphysboro, passed away at 2:04 a.m. Monday, October 2, 2017, at his residence in Murphysboro in the company of his wife and sons.

    David was born on April 19, 1943, in Springfield, Illinois, to David W. Watt, Sr. and Marietta (Cullen) Watt.

    David was a 1961 graduate from the Springfield High School in Springfield, Illinois. He did his undergraduate studies at the University of Wisconsin, graduating in 1965. He was a member of the Theta Delta Chi Fraternity and served as the business manager of the University of Wisconsin Daily Cardinal. He received his law degree from the University Of Illinois College Of Law in 1968 and was admitted to the Illinois Bar that same year. He was admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court in 1977. From 1968 to 1970, he served with the Jackson County State’s Attorney’s Office and from 1970 to 1980 with Hendricks and Watt; and from 1980 to 1982, a partner with Hendricks, Watt and Grace.

  • September 29, 2017 | People
    Benjamin Watts 1962-2017

    Benjamin Hooker Watts, 55, died at 5:45 a.m. Tuesday (Sept. 19, 2017) at Carle Foundation Hospital, Urbana. He was born March 1, 1962, in Urbana, to Emily Stipes Watts and Robert Allan Watts. He married Judith Diane Argentieri on Oct. 25, 1997, in Chicago. They have a daughter, Olivia Argentieri Watts (18), and a son, Samuel Argentieri Watts (16).

    Ben is survived by his wife and two children. He is also survived by his mother and brothers, Edward and Thomas, as well as numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. He was preceded in death by his father.

    Ben graduated from Champaign Central High School and Dartmouth College and played football for both CHS and Dartmouth. He later graduated from the University of Michigan School of Law, going on to practice law with Gardner Carton & Douglas, Chicago. He returned to Champaign to join Stipes Publishing where he was a partner in the publishing business.

  • September 29, 2017 | People
    Elmer Clyde Rudy 1931—2017

    Elmer Clyde Rudy, 86, of Rockford, died at Mercy Health/Rockford Memorial Hospital at 1:25 p.m. Wednesday, September 13, 2017. He was born in Elgin, IL April 10, 1931; the son of Elmer Rudy and Bernice Tobin Rudy. His family moved to Marengo, IL in 1942, where he attended the Marengo public schools. He graduated from Beloit College Magna Cum Laude in 1953, where he was a member of the 1951 NIT basketball team, the Washington Semester Program, President of the SAE fraternity, and where he was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron Delta Kappa honorary fraternities. He married Margaret Meyer in Marengo on July 5, 1953.