Respected Lake County Lawyer Dies

Murray Ross Conzelman, 85, of Lake Forest, Illinois, Siesta Key, Florida, and Hazelhurst, Wisconsin, died January 6, 2015. He was born November 2, 1929, in Waukegan, Illinois, the second son of Murray Wilson and Jesse Edwards Conzelman. He graduated from Waukegan High School, Lake Forest College, and Northwestern Law School. Murray started practicing law in 1953, and became one of the most respected lawyers in Lake County, Illinois, among a generation of renowned lawyers the likes of which the county has not seen since. He was elected Alderman of the 7th Ward for the City of Waukegan at the age of 23, still the youngest ever elected to that position. Murray was highly respected in all fields of municipal law, representing the communities of Waukegan, Lake Forest, Old Mill Creek, Round Lake Beach, Kildeer, Long Grove, and the North Shore Sanitary District. Murray was President of the Waukegan Jaycees, which awarded him its Distinguished Service Award, and named him Man of the Year. He was President of the Lake County Bar Association in 1973, and the inaugural recipient of its President’s Award in 1996. He served on many boards, including the Lake County Urban League, Barwell Homes, the Illinois St. Andrews Society, and Barat College. He was appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court to its Rules Committee and served in that capacity for many years. He was a founding member of the Jefferson Inn, an American Inn of Court. In 1955 Murray married Barbara Vasey, and they and their three daughters lived in Waukegan, Old Mill Creek, and Lake Forest, Illinois. After Barbara’s death in 1984, Murray was fortunate to meet and marry Gwen Gregory, and they had many more happy years together. He had a lifetime devotion to the St. Louis Cardinals, and attended Cardinals’ camp five times. Murray was preceded in death by his parents, one brother John W. Conzelman II, and his first wife Barbara. He is survived by his wife Gwen, his daughters Anne (Craig) Linn, their children Nathan (Katrina Stidham), Alex, Mollie, and Jack Linn; Lesley (Ellen Schaller) Conzelman and Carrie Conzelman; and his step-children Lori (Kent) Baker, their children Jesica (Matt) Jones, Alissa (John) McNicholas, Mary Gwen, and Madison Baker; Jim (Maxwell) Gregory, and their children Royce, Meredith, and Mallory Gregory; seven great-grandchildren, his brother James Conzelman, and his family. Now he is at peace.
Visitation Sunday, January 11, 2015, from 4-7 p.m., at Wenban Funeral Home, 320 Vine Avenue, Lake Forest, Illinois. Service Monday, January 12, 2015, at 10:00 a.m., Church of St. Mary, 175 East Illinois Road, Lake Forest, Illinois. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Midwest Palliative & Hospice Care Center, 2050 Claire Court, Glenview, Illinois 60025, or by visiting www.carecenter.org. Or, Memorial Drive Church of Christ, Tulsa, OK, at www.memorialdrive.org. Info – www.wenbanfh.com or 847-234-0022.