Obituaries

Roy Claybourn Palmer died February 27, 2017. He was born in Kearney, Missouri on August 9, 1935 and moved to Chicago shortly after his birth. After serving in Korea with the US Army 7th Cavalry, he married his first wife, Nancy Barclay and had three children, Claybourn John Palmer, Heather Ann Palmer Roberts and Allyson Lynn Palmer. He started his professional life with the Federal Trade Commission then followed into the private sector, eventually starting his own firm. Focusing on business law, among others practice areas, he represented the Visiting Nurses Association and the Illinois State Savings and Loan Association. He attended Chicago's Lake View HS, Lake Forest College and Chicago-Kent College of Law, where he earned his Juris Doctorate with Honors. He established and endowed the Roy C. Palmer Civil Liberties Prize at Chicago-Kent College of Law for writings that explore the tension between our civil liberties and national security in contemporary American society. In 1983 he married Susan Marie Kelly. Shortly thereafter they embarked on an adventure that would change the world of many Native American tribes. As a pioneer in the Native American Gaming Industry, he was said to have "found a loophole in the law and drove a mack truck through it". He worked most notably for the St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin who awarded him their highest honor by presenting him with an Eagle Feather. From California to Florida he fought many legal battles to gain the tribes their gaming rights.

Penny Nathan Kahan, nee Schwartz, formerly Penny Nathan Furhman, age 72, died after a long battle with ovarian cancer. She is survived by her husband Brian Burrows and sons Daniel Furhman (Claire Sebastian) and Noah Furhman (Karina).

She was born in Chicago, attended Sullivan High School, earned a B.A. from Roosevelt University in 1966, did graduate work at the University of Chicago, and earned a J.D. from Berkeley Law in 1978. She worked in the state's attorney's office and founded the law firm of Penny Nathan Kahan and Associates in 1983.

Her career as an attorney was focused on helping people who suffered from workplace unfairness and discrimination. She was one of the co-founders of The National Employment Lawyers Association in 1985 and the founder of its Illinois affiliate. In 2000 she was elected a Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Law and a fellow of the American Bar Foundation in 2002. In 2008 she was recognized as one of the Top Ten Woman Lawyers in the state representing individual consumers of legal services. She closed her practice in 2010 due to complications from her illness.

In lieu of flowers please donate to the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition, Illinois Chapter, illinois@ovarian.org. A celebration of her life will be held at Chicago Jewish Funerals, 8851 Skokie Blvd (at Niles Center Road) on Sunday, February 19 at 2PM.

Honorable Retired Judge Francis X. Mahoney of Freeport died Friday, February 3, 2017. He is survived by brothers Johnny, Tommy and David who all live in the Boston area; his son, the Honorable Judge P Michael Mahoney (Cris) of Freeport; grandchildren Dan (Kim) and Tim Mahoney both of Freeport; and step grandchildren Jeff Pukacz (Michelle) of Bloomington and Julie MacAllister (Matt) of Sycamore.

He attended St John's Prep and Boston College before he enlisted in the Navy in 1943. He served in the Navy from 1943 to 1946. After his discharge he attended Northwestern University Law School on the GI Bill and received his Law Degree in October of 1948. He moved to Ashland, Wisconsin in 1948 and he began practicing law there. In 1951 he moved to Park Falls, Wisconsin to practice law with Arthur DeBarteleben. In 1955 he moved to Freeport, and in 1962 he formed a law partnership with Harold Nettles.

Michael White Clancy, accomplished attorney and ardent animal lover, died in Wayne, Illinois on February 4, 2017 at the age of 57. He is survived by his wife, Michelle; parents Wendell and Kay Clancy of Wayne; siblings Scott, Tim, and Susan (Boles); and 11 nieces and nephews.

He was born in Durham, North Carolina on June 29, 1959. He graduated from St. Charles High School in 1977, where he was class president and captain of the varsity hockey and baseball teams. He attended Amherst College in Massachusetts, graduating with honors in 1981 while playing on the hockey team.

Like his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, he pursued a law degree, graduating from Boston College Law School in 1984. He practiced law in a large firm in Worcester, Massachusetts before founding his own firm near Cherry Valley, Massachusetts in 1987.

He relocated back to the Fox River Valley in 1992 to become a partner in the family law firm in St. Charles, where he practiced with his father, brother, and sister. Beginning in 2015, he operated a successful litigation and mediation practice in St. Charles. He was a frequent lecturer and author in the areas of litigation and trial practice. He actively supported animal rescue and welfare organizations. The Court Case Dog Program at Safe Humane was close to his heart.