People

William Nash was a U.S. Army World War II veteran, a two-term Winnebago County state’s attorney, a circuit judge, an Illinois Appellate Court judge and an avid golfer who got his first hole-in-one at the age of 80.

To Steve Nash, he was simply Dad.

“We were very blessed that we had our dad for such an advanced age,” Steve Nash said Monday, speaking for his brother, Robert, and sister, Patricia Cortright. “We were a bit spoiled having him. He was truly devoted to us kids. We always could count on him.”

William R. Nash of Rockford died Friday at home. He was 87.

Nash was born and raised in Rockford and spent two years in Gen. George S. Patton’s tank forces in World War II. He was wounded in combat in northern France, for which he received the Purple Heart.

Nash served two terms as Winnebago County state’s attorney before being elected circuit judge from 1968 to 1977. He served on the Illinois Appellate Court from 1977 to 1989.

Read the full obituary in the Rockford Register Star

Associate Andrew J. Albright joins Swanson, Martin & Bell, LLP from Eichhorn & Eichhorn, LLP, where he was also an associate. He focuses his practice on Medical Negligence and Healthcare, Product Liability, and Commercial Litigation and Business Disputes. Mr. Albright received his J.D. from Indiana University – Robert H. McKinney School of Law in 2010 and his B.A. from the University of Michigan in 2006. He is admitted to practice law in both Illinois and Indiana.

Associate Claire A. Floore comes to Swanson, Martin & Bell, LLP from Larsen Law Firm, PC, where she was also an associate. She focuses her practice on Asbestos Litigation. Ms. Floore received her J.D. from The John Marshall Law School in 2011 and her B.A. from the College of Charleston in 2008. She is admitted to practice law in Illinois.

Frederick C. Leydig, 87, passed away April 17, 2012, at his home in Barrington with his wife of 62 years, Patricia, by his side.

Fred was born in Denver, Colo., and grew up in Detroit, Mich. He attended and was a proud alum of the Jesuit University of Detroit High School. In the midst of World War II, Fred earned his B.S. in chemical engineering (1945) from the Illinois Institute of Technology through the Navy's V-12 officer training program, was commissioned an ensign and served aboard the battleship USS New Jersey. While attending IIT, he earned varsity letters in tennis and basketball. As IIT's "giant" center, Fred played against such future basketball greats as George Mikan and Otto Graham.

Attending night school, Fred received his J.D. from DePaul Law School in 1950. He was employed in the patent department of Standard Oil Company and, in 1954, joined the intellectual property firm of Carlson, Pitzner, Hubbard & Wolf, which later came to bear his name: Leydig, Voit & Mayer Ltd. He became one of the nation's preeminent intellectual property attorneys. Testament to his leadership in the firm and renown as a lawyer, the firm continues to bear his name more than 20 years after his retirement.

Along the way, Fred was chairman of Young Republicans of Illinois (1953 - 55), president of the Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago (1980), president of the United Way of Arlington Heights (1965 - 66), and board member of the American Intellectual Property Law Association and the Law Club of Chicago. He was a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.

John J. "Jack" Schaller, age 63, entered eternal rest April 23, 2012 at Joliet Area Community Hospice Home as the result of complications from liver failure.

A lifelong Sox and Bears fan, Jack was raised on the Southside of Chicago. He graduated from St. Ignatius College Prep, and he later enlisted in the Army and was a soldier in Vietnam. Upon returning from the war, Jack graduated from Illinois State University and began a brief career as a junior high teacher and football coach. While working at Gompers Junior High, Jack met and later married Melissa Stanclik. With his wife's support, he attended Lewis University and pursued his dream of becoming a lawyer, a career he held most of his adult life. Notably, Jack became a prosecutor for the Grundy County States Attorney's office in 1994 and remained until his retirement in June of 2010.

An avid golfer, Jack played the area courses regularly making many friends along the way. Throughout all of these stages of life, Jack could not go anywhere without seeing a familiar face and sharing one of his funny stories. A member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles, American Legion Post 1080, and the Will County Irish American Society, Jack will be remembered for his humor and larger than life personality; his pride in his family and his father's bar, Schaller's Pump; and, his devotion to his first grandson, Scotty. Jack will be missed by many and forgotten by none.