Ralph John Derango Jr., 81, of Swansea, died Tuesday, April 23, 2019, from complications related to heart surgery, at Missouri Baptist Medical Center in St. Louis, Missouri.
He was born on Aug. 12, 1937, in LaSalle. After graduating from LaSalle-Peru High School in 1955, he attended LaSalle Peru Junior College and the University of Illinois. He graduated at the top of his class from John Marshall Law School in Chicago in 1961. Shortly thereafter, he began practicing law in Belleville and continued practicing part-time until his death. He fought hard for his clients and never hesitated to help anyone who needed legal advice. In addition to his law practice, he worked briefly as an assistant state's attorney and an assistant public defender. He served for many years as school board attorney for Belleville Township District #201, O'Fallon District #203, Central District #104, Pontiac-William Holliday District #105, and High Mount District #116.