In Memoriam, Nov. - Dec. 2020

Stephen D. Aliber, age 73, of Kansas City, on August 30, 2020. Aliber graduated from the University of Missouri School of Law and practiced with Shook, Hardy & Bacon. He served in the U.S. Army.

John Anderson Tackes, age 54, of St. Louis, on October 15, 2019. Tackes attended the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law. He was an administrative law judge and appeals referee with the State of Missouri, and a consultant and contributor with The Constitutional Coalition.

Cristy Lynne Baker-Neel, age 62, of Sikeston, on October 18, 2020. Baker-Neel attended the University of Missouri School of Law and joined The Missouri Bar in 1985. Her professional life included time as public defender for Stoddard County and prosecuting attorney for Scott County.

L. Clay Barton, age 71, of Oak Grove, on May 3, 2020. Barton attended the University of Missouri School of Law and joined The Missouri Bar in 1973. He practiced at Barton, Hall & Schneiders, which he founded in 1991.

Sharon B. Briner, age 79, of Kansas City, on November 6, 2019. Briner graduated from the University of Iowa School of Law and spent most of her professional life as lead attorney in the Black Hawk County Juvenile Public Defender Office.

Charles Edward Brown, age 61, of St. Louis, on October 26, 2020. Brown earned his law degree from Saint Louis University School of Law and joined The Missouri Bar in 1987. He most recently worked at Brown & Brown.

Eugene K. Buckley, age 91, of St. Louis, on October 19, 2020. Buckley joined The Missouri Bar in 1952 and practiced law for 68 years.

Edward John Cadieux, age 66, of St. Louis, on March 4, 2020. Cadieux graduated from Saint Louis University School of Law and joined The Missouri Bar in 1979.

James D. Cullen, age 95, of Ballwin, on July 29, 2020. Cullen served in the Army-Air Corp during WWII and later graduated from Saint Louis University School of Law. Cullen's diverse practice represented clients both domestically and internationally. Early in his career, he was a civil rights attorney working with the Rev. Ralph Abernathy and the Rev. Martin Luther King. He later went on to represent the National Hockey League, St. Louis Blues, California Seals, Denver Rockies, and World Football League, along with participating in the drafting of the constitution of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Wendell Lee Evans Jr., age 88, of Dallas, on February 15, 2020. Evans joined The Missouri Bar in 1957. Over the course of his career, he practiced law, served as a prosecuting attorney, and led several financial institutions.

Mark F. Haywood, age 70, of Clayton, on June 30, 2020. Haywood graduated from Saint Louis University School of Law and joined The Missouri Bar in 1975.

William M. Howard, age 85, of Phoenix, AZ, on June 26, 2020. Howard attended the University of Missouri School of Law and joined The Missouri Bar in 1958. He was active in many societies and organizations as well as an adjunct faculty at various universities. Howard was most recently president of Dispute Solutions, Inc.

Thomas Howard Lake, age 83, of St. Louis, on September 25, 2020. Lake attended Washington University Law School and was a trial lawyer for 50 years. He served in the U.S. Army Military Police Corps during the Vietnam War.

Tammee Elizabeth McVey, age 58, of Jetmore, KS, on November 30, 2019. McVey joined The Missouri Bar in 1992 and most recently practiced with YoungWilliams.

Thomas P. Meade, age 81, of Jeffersontown, KY, on October 24, 2020. Meade attended Saint Louis University School of Law and served in the U.S. Army. After working with various firms, he formed a solo practice in 1970, where he remained until his 2014 retirement. Mead also served as a municipal judge for the City of Palmyra.

Scot T. Othic, age 67, of Marceline, on September 22, 2020. Othic attended the University of Missouri School of Law and was appointed assistant attorney general for the state of Missouri. He spent 20 years in private practice and served as Linn County 9th District associate judge. Othic served in the U.S. Army.

Doris J. Banta Pree, age 98, of St. Louis, on September 20, 2020. She graduated from Cornell University Law School and joined The Missouri Bar in 1946. Banta Pree worked at a St. Louis firm for 35 years before becoming vice-president and general attorney for the St. Louis County Water Company.

Thurlow Drew Schauffler, age 43, of Fayette, on September 5, 2020. Schauffler graduated from the University of Missouri School of Law and joined The Missouri Bar in 2004. He most recently practiced with A.W. Smith Law Firm in Columbia.

James S. Stubbs, age 83, of Kansas City, on September 29, 2020. Stubbs graduated from the University of Missouri School of Law and joined The Missouri Bar in 1969. He practiced with the firm of Shughart Thomson & Kilroy and subsequently served as circuit judge of the 43rd Judicial Circuit. He later served as a U.S. administrative law judge in Kansas City until his retirement.

Frederick Michael Switzer, age 87, of St. Louis, on October 27, 2020. Switzer attended Washington University School of Law and joined The Missouri Bar in 1959. Switzer’s litigation cases brought him before federal and state courts, as well as the Supreme Court of the United States. He served in the U.S. Navy.

George R. Wilhoit Jr., age 95, of Springfield, on September 22, 2020. After serving in the U.S. Army during WWII, Wilhoit attended Saint Louis University School of Law. He was in private practice in Poplar Bluff before being appointed in 1994 as a U.S. administrative law judge, where he remained until retirement.