In memoriam: January-February 2025
Vol. 81, No. 1 / January-February 2025
How to submit an obituary
Obituaries are submitted to The Missouri Bar through a variety of mechanisms. To facilitate this process, the bar created a form that may be accessed via MoBar.wufoo.com/forms/in-memoriam. We will not print a notice unless a copy of the death certificate or obituary is submitted.
Ralph Anthony Aubuchon, age 71, of Columbia, on Nov. 6, 2024. Aubuchon graduated from the University of Georgia School of Law. He was admitted to The Missouri Bar in 1991.
Laura C. Berlin, age 47, of St. Louis, on Oct. 7, 2024. Berlin graduated from the Saint Louis University School of Law and was admitted to The Missouri Bar in 2003. She started working at the St. Louis law firm Dubail Judge in 2003 and became partner in 2014.
Thomas Harvey Bottini, age 81, of Webster Groves, on Oct. 1, 2024. Bottini practiced international law and acquired one of the first licenses for a U.S. law firm to practice in China. He earned his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law and master of laws from the University of London School of Law. Bottini was admitted to The Missouri Bar in 1973 and served in the U.S. Air Force.
Leland C. Bussell, age 97, of Springfield, on May 31, 2024. Bussell was admitted to The Missouri Bar in 1951.
Daniel R. Carter, age 79, of Port St. Lucie, Florida, on Dec. 2, 2024. Carter graduated from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law and was admitted to The Missouri Bar in 1983. He practiced law for 33 years in Warrensburg and served in the U.S. Army.
Amos Overton Durrett Jr., age 91, of Kansas City, on April 1, 2024. Durrett graduated from the College of William and Mary School of Law and was admitted to The Missouri Bar in 1962. He later started his own practice and specialized in estate planning and taxation. Durrett served in the U.S. Air Force.
Margaret Wallace Fox, age 78, of Salisbury, Vermont, on Nov. 14, 2024. Fox graduated from the Saint Louis University School of Law. She was admitted to The Missouri Bar in 1975 and practiced family law. She was the first president of the Women Lawyers’ Association of Greater St. Louis.
Thomas Gill, age 87, of Overland Park, Kansas, on Sept. 3, 2024. Gill practiced law in Kansas City for 45 years. He graduated from Harvard Law School and was admitted to The Missouri Bar in 1962.
Michael H. Izsak, age 65, of Olivette, on Dec. 14, 2024. Izsak graduated from the Washington University School of Law and was admitted to The Missouri Bar in 1986.
E.D. Lofftus, age 83, of Fenton, on Oct. 24, 2024. Lofftus graduated from the Saint Louis University School of Law and was admitted to The Missouri Bar in 1972.
Michael H. Maguire, age 72, of Cape Girardeau, on Oct. 21, 2024. Maguire graduated from the University of Notre Dame School of Law and was admitted to The Missouri Bar in 1986. He worked at a law firm in Cape Girardeau and later founded his own practice with an emphasis on general law.
Hon. Tracey Ann Mason-White, age 47, of Milan, on Dec. 15, 2024. Mason-White practiced law in Milan for several years before serving as associate circuit judge for 12 years. She graduated from the University of Denver School of Law and was admitted to The Missouri Bar in 2004. Mason-White served on The Missouri Bar Board of Governors.
John C. O’Brien, age 81, of Chesterfield, on Aug. 6, 2024. O’Brien graduated from Harvard Law School in 1967 and was admitted to The Missouri Bar in 1976. He became a professor at the Saint Louis University School of Law in 1975, where he taught until he retired in 2012.
William Henry Perry III, age 84, of Joplin, on Dec. 3, 2024. He attended the Washington College of Law at American University and was admitted The Missouri Bar in 1966. He founded the Myers, Webster and Perry Law Firm, became the city attorney for Webb City, and was assistant prosecuting attorney for Jasper County. He later founded a law firm with Richard Copeland before starting his own law firm specializing in child advocacy and adoption. Perry served in the National Guard.
Gary Alan Powell, age 70, of Springfield, on Oct. 20, 2024. Powell graduated from the University of Missouri School of Law and was admitted to The Missouri Bar in 1979. He started his career at Farrington & Curtis and later helped establish the Springfield office of Spencer Fane, LLP.
Richard James Scheffler Jr., age 79, of Madison, Connecticut, on June 21, 2024. Scheffler graduated from the University of Missouri School of Law and was admitted to The Missouri Bar in 1973. He served in the U.S. Army.
R. Bruce Tepper, age 75, of Los Angeles, California, on Sept. 17, 2024. Tepper was admitted to The Missouri Bar in 1976 and moved to Los Angeles a few years later, where he practiced as a litigator specializing in land use and water rights appeals.