Attorney LeRoy A. Ufkes, 88, of Carthage died at 12:45 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2011, at Memorial Hospital in Carthage, Ill.

He was born Sept. 8, 1923, in Bear Creek Township, Hancock County, Ill., the son of Fred J. and Tena M. Johnson Ufkes. On Dec. 28, 1956, he married Joan Aleshire at St. Paul Catholic Church in Macomb, Ill.

He attended Basco High School for three years, graduating from Carthage High School in 1940. He received his bachelor's degree from Carthage College in Carthage, Ill. He attended Texas Tech College in Lubbock, Texas, and Louisiana State University in engineering and received his Juris Doctorate with honors from the University of Iowa Law School in Iowa City, Iowa, in 1950.

He was a lieutenant in the U.S. Army and served in Italy in World War II.

He served on numerous state commissions including the Commission for the Status of Women, Guardianship and Advocacy Commission and Illinois Court of Claims. He was Special Assistant Attorney General for more than 10 years with the state of Illinois, served an interim term in the Illinois state Legislature, was a member of Hancock County Bar Association, an Illinois delegate for numerous Republican National Conventions, and director of the boards of Farmers State Bank of Ferris, Union Bank of Carthage and Memorial Hospital and Nursing Home. He was a charter member of the Carthage VFW.

Throughout his professional career, he was a member of numerous other boards and commissions related to the practice of law. He was a longtime attorney for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was a lifetime champion and advocate for justice and fairness for the poor.

He was also involved with the local Humane Society and enjoyed time with his best friend and cat, Little Miss Amy.

He was a member of the WIU Western Athletic and Leatherneck Clubs and inducted into the WIU Athletic Hall of Fame and was one of the charter athletic full scholarship donors of the Western Athletic Club through the WIU Foundation.

He was a season ticket holder of the St. Louis Rams and of the University of Iowa Hawkeyes, and he was a lifetime Cincinnati Reds fan.

Survivors include his wife; a daughter, Dr. Fran Ufkes-Daniels; and son-in-law, Dr. Lacy Daniels; and one sister, Ruth I. Ufkes.

He was preceded in death by his parents and his brothers, John H. Ufkes, Alvin J. Ufkes and Herbert C. Ufkes.

A memorial fund has been established for Trinity Lutheran Church in Carthage, Immanuel Lutheran Church in Carthage and Hearts of Hancock Humane Society.