People

James C. Craven, 89, of Bellingham, Washington, died early Monday morning, January 12, 2015, in Seattle, Washington, following complications from surgery.

Jim was born August 7, 1925, in Greenfield Tennessee, the son of Arlie and Addie Craven.  The family moved to Chicago in the 1930’s, and Jim graduated from Lakeview High School. He graduated from the University of Illinois, and the University of Illinois Law School, after serving in the Army during and after WWII.

Jim married Gloria Pheney in November 1951, and they started a family in Springfield, Illinois.  Jim and Gloria moved to Ashland, Oregon in 1999, and then to Bellingham, Washington in 2010. He is survived by his wife Gloria at home in Bellingham, along with their four children, William (Terri Tork) of Sacramento CA; Nancy (Jim Claypool) of Portland OR; Don (Denise) of Springfield IL; and Rebecca (Scott Linneman) of Bellingham WA, as well as grandchildren Joseph and David Craven, Anna and Meg Claypool and Charles and Dorothy Linneman.

The law firm of Stumpf & Gutknecht, P.C., announced today that Paul Schimpf will join the firm as an attorney of counsel.

After growing up in Waterloo, Schimpf left Monroe County in 1989 to attend the United States Naval Academy. While on active duty for 24 years in the United States Navy and Marine Corps, he maintained Waterloo as his home of record. He is a 2000 graduate of the Southern Illinois University School of Law, where he was a member of the Law Review. Schimpf served as both an infantry officer and an attorney for the United States Marine Corps, retiring in 2013 as a Lieutenant Colonel. His highest profile legal assignment was as the lead American attorney-advisor in the trial of Saddam Hussein. Schimpf also served as the Staff Judge Advocate for Marine Corps Installations Command and the head prosecutor for the Marine Corps’ Western Recruiting Region.

Schimpf resides in Monroe County with his wife, Lori, and their sons, Ethan and Garrett. He is licensed to practice law in Illinois courts, the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, and the United States Supreme Court.

Stumpf & Gutknecht assists clients with legal matters. They provide counsel for families and their businesses in all aspects of general law practice, including real estate, financial and business transactions, estate planning, elder law, probate matters, trust-estate litigation, criminal law, traffic law, general civil litigation, commercial litigation, real estate litigation, family law, municipal, and appellate representation.

A recent law school graduate kicked off the New Year with her grandmother, the first female attorney in LaSalle County, expanding an Ottawa-based law firm.

Kathryn Baker, who graduated from Northern Illinois College of Law and passed the Illinois State Bar in October, said she’s excited to launch Barton & Baker with her “fiery” grandmother Marilyn Barton, the first woman to practice law in Ottawa more than 40 years ago.

“Kate’s the only one of six grandkids I could talk into law,” Barton said with a laugh. “I’m proud she’ll carry on the tradition, and I’m thrilled to start 2015 practicing law alongside my granddaughter.”

Barton started practicing law back in 1970, after serving as a Chicago Public School teacher for more than a decade. She said she likes the idea of adding her granddaughter into her long-standing practice because, with similar strong personalities, the two make a good team.

Baker, who interned at Prairie State Legal Services in 2013 helping low-income clients, had initially sworn off becoming a lawyer in lieu of becoming a counselor. After being the youngest to graduate in her class at Bradley University with B.S. degrees in both Psychology and Sociology, Baker spent three years as a caseworker at the Illinois Institute for Addiction Recovery at Proctor Hospital in Peoria.

John Kenneth Surman, 70, passed away Sunday, Dec. 7, 2014, at St. John’s Hospice.

He was born in Carlinville, IL on March 25, 1944, to William Kenneth and Virginia (Burr) Surman. He married Donna Jean Grant on Sept. 2, 1967 at Carlinville Methodist Church.

John was an Eagle Scout and a 1962 graduate of Carlinville High School. He attended Blackburn College and received his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Illinois, Champaign. He received his Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois Law School. John worked for Horsley Law Firm for 5 years and was part-time counsel for the State of IL Department of Agriculture for two years. He later opened Lott and Surman, P.C. and practiced for 40 years. He was the attorney for Curran Township and a member of the American Bar Association and Illinois State Bar Association. John was a member of the Island Bay Yacht Club for 40 years. He was a member of First United Methodist Church where he was a teacher and member of the TLC class for 33 years. Throughout his life he served on numerous boards and committees. In all areas of his life, he reflected the love of his Lord, Jesus Christ and brought glory to Him.

John is survived by his wife, Donna; daughters, Elizabeth Anne (significant other, Doug Bagg) of Springfield and Catherine Jane (Dan) McCoy of Chicago; 2 grandsons, Ralph Jonathan and Andrew William McCoy; sister, Linda Bailey of Port Charlotte, FL; and several nieces, nephews, and cousins, including Judith (Richard) Lott of Springfield.