People

Raymond L. Prusak, 64, proud father of Iris [Kelly] Kanapaux, Sydney and Jake Prusak, loving grandfather to the young Quinn Kanapaux, passed away on March 7. 

A criminal defense attorney with a soft spot for the underdog, Ray dedicated his life to representing people across Illinois, working his hardest to get them a second chance. After practicing law for 30 years, Ray’s new career was devoted to those battling addiction and mental health issues amidst the opioid crisis, most recently as a senior coordinator at Norwegian Hospital.  As always, working for people during the lowest times of their life.

Justice Charles E. Freeman, who had a long and distinguished career on the Illinois Supreme Court from 1990 to 2018 and was the first African American to serve on the Court and as Chief Justice, passed away on March 2, 2020. He was 86.

“It is with great sadness that I have learned of the passing of Justice Charles E. Freeman. Charles and I had been acquaintances for several decades before I joined the court, having often attended many of the same social events,” Chief Justice Anne M. Burke said. “However, we became close friends once we became colleagues and I considered Charles to be my mentor. He was a gentleman and a truly gracious individual. I never heard him say an unkind word about anyone. He was a consensus builder and treated everyone equally and with respect.”

Faegre Drinker has built upon its strong foundation serving the construction and energy industry with the addition of Regina Pearson. Pearson joins the firm after serving as in-house counsel at a global engineering and construction company. Pearson will serve as counsel in the firm’s Chicago office.  

Pearson delivers transactional, regulatory, litigation and operational counsel to clients in the planning, development and management of major construction projects. She has significant experience advising on energy projects in the liquefied natural gas (LNG), petrochemical, power and renewable energy sectors.  

Keith Hyzer died on February 19, 2020. He was the son of Harold and Beulah (McKinney) Hyzer born on September 24, 1931 in Lewistown, Illinois. He was a graduate of Lewistown High School where he was the valedictorian of his class of 1949. He played basketball and baseball for 4 years and was captain of his basketball team. He was very proud of his small-town heritage.