Federal Judge Harry Leinenweber remembered as judge, father and friend

Need Sunday…

Harry was quite a guy.

From the courtroom to the family room to the dining room, U.S. District Court judge Harry Leinenweber taught an individual master class in life.

A man of reason, a man in his own right, a husband, a father, a grandfather, a great-grandfather. A golfer, a storyteller, an intellectual who loved people, a teller of great but true stories.

Harry Leinenweber was also a giant jurist.

Recently, he presided over major federal trials, including that of R.Kelly and ComEd – but Judge Leinenweber’s gavel remained silent forever Tuesday night after he battled lung cancer.

His wife, former US Secretary of Labor Lynn Martinwas by her side in their Gold Coast home, her children nearby, her beloved Burmese cats “Nigel” and “Zuzu” standing at the bedside.

“Life smiled on us when we chose him as our judge,” said the chief judge of the United States District Court. Rebecca Pallmeyer, his boss.

“Honestly, he was perfect,” she said.

Last Monday, Judge Leinenweber called her to make a request.

“He was having trouble breathing, struggling to communicate effectively, saying he had lived a good life and had no complaints…but he was going into a hospice and he wanted to make sure that his legal assistants should not be left behind,” the judge said. Palmeyer.

“Harry was facing death and thinking of others,” she said.

“He was an extraordinary man, who never stood apart from people,” she said. “And he loved trying cases so much that he asked to help him manage other judges’ caseloads,” she said.

A close friend and attorney said, “You can bet every trial lawyer in Chicago federal court is crying tonight because Harry was the best trial judge you could ever have.”

“Harry is committed to ensuring that the litigants before him have a fair trial and that their lawyers are treated with respect.”

‘Gipper’ gives the hammer to ‘Dad’…

Harry was a guy to be crazy about. Proud of his Joliet roots, he was a star Republican member of the Illinois General Assembly from 1973 to 1983 and was a presidential appointee. Ronald Reagan on November 7, 1985, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Harry had everything. The law was his territory, his wife was his co-pilot, his family was his life.

A father of five children… Thomas, Justin, Steven, Jane and John – and father-in-law of two children – Carrie and Julia — Harry and his wife, Lynn, were in love with their blended family and their beloved grandchildren and great-grandchildren who called them “Daddy” and “Gigi.”

A sign posted on the entrance to their summer home in Indiana said it all:

“Grandchildren are welcome. Parents by appointment only.

A devout Catholic who attended mass at the Cathedral of the Holy Name, Harry was always the first to get up between 4 and 5 a.m., either swimming or reading the classics.

It was a life honorably executed…with a sprinkle of kickapoo joy juice on the side.

A formidable golfer, Harry loved to personally serve his personal mix of gin martini with two shaken olives in his mini bar placed by the piano in the couple’s Gold Coast apartment. Then he would sit in his favorite nearby chair and orate about courtroom hijinxes, classics, or political lore in his stentorian bass voice.

Or he was just waiting for “Nigel,” the family cat, to jump on his lap.

“A judge, but never a judgment”

In typical Harry fashion, he arrived smiling, but frail, at his wife’s 87th birthday party at the Union League Club on June 3, enjoying his celebratory toasts with a glass of water. He died suddenly eight days later at his home.

A classic combination of intellectual and regular guy, Harry was indeed something else.

Did I tell you Harry makes a hell of a rhubarb pie and has a vintage waffle iron?

“Lynn and Harry always had a house full of guests or family at their Dunes home, where Harry loved to make a nice breakfast for all their guests, always getting up early, making bread, bacon, leftovers – and warming warming drawers to keep foods perfectly in sync. ,” said Chris Dudley, a very close family friend.

“And they wouldn’t let anyone help clean up.” They did everything…and loaded the dishwasher together,” she said.

“Harry was a judge, but never judged,” Dudley added. “He was comfortable talking to anyone and loved to enjoy life. He and Lynn made a great team. They were unique in their own careers and achievements. So proud of each other…and protective.

“We were all crazy about Harry.”

Retired federal judge Wayne Andersen, one of Leinenweber’s closest friends and golf partner, described his friend as an “intellectual so kind that it would almost mask his formidable mind.” He just loved people. I tried to be fair. His house was filled with books about all phases of his life and experiences.

“In one of his final opinions, Harry was delighted to be able to quote Shakespeare when saying that one of the parties involved in the case ‘had been hoisted on his own petard!'” he said .

Did I tell you that Harry, a huge Notre Dame fan who loved attending his alma mater’s games, treasured a replica of his childhood home in Joliet that he kept on a bedroom shelf?

“We were all crazy about Harry,” said one member of his legion of friends. “His life with Lynn, who, like Harry, was also a former Republican member of the Illinois House, was a true love story.”

Lynn and Harry. Which team.

Harry Leinenweber. What a class act.

Needles…

Saturday Birthdays: Jim Belushi70; Courtney Cox, 60; Helene Hunt, 61; Ice Cube, 55,… Sunday Birthdays: Laurie Metcalf, 69; John Cho52 years… And a belated birthday to Chicago’s best social analyst, Candace Jordan, timeless and priceless.