Kenneth L. Gillis, age 79. Cherished husband of Nancy Gillis, nee Diettrich; dear father of Martha, Audrey (Cal) Wessman, and Jane (Duane) Hawk; loving grandfather of Ryan and Andy Wessman, and Linirose Gillis McKeown; devoted son of the late Howard and Rose Gillis; fond brother of Jeanette (Wayne) Wilhelmsen; loved uncle to many nieces and nephews; best friend to two new kittens.

Friends and family remember him as a keen and interested legal mind, a dedicated public servant, an adventurer's traveler, an animal lover, a foodie, a loving husband, friend, father, and grandfather, and an expert Sudoku solver.

Ken loved being a father to his three girls. He moved his family from his beloved south side to Winnetka when he learned that the public schools there were considered to be the best. He believed that education was the secret to success and all three of his daughters went on to achieve advanced degrees. The Gillis family made sure to see every Chicago cultural event from King Tut to Monet to the first Star Wars movie. Dad loved to write and gifted his family with a bound collection of his short stories just a few years ago. The Gillis family ate dinner by candlelight virtually every day of the year and loved to share stories in front of their Duralog fire. Every summer, they would get away to a little lake town and together read a classic play like "The Importance of Being Earnest". Dad's favorite movie was Animal House and he could recite most all of the lines. Dad also knew the names of every '85 Bear. He was the first person each of us called when something went wrong. If you had a flat tire, he'd be there is in 5 minutes with a jack and a beer. He loved fine dining and made sure we all tried escargot, oysters and apricots. Martha, Audrey and Jane will miss our dad every time we see Mike Singletary, a college diploma or a Bud Light.

Ken was an avid traveler and determined to visit all 50 states and it was not unusual for the Gillis family to spend their spring break knocking off a few states like Tennessee, Kentucky and West Virginia while their friends were sending postcards from Florida. The Gillis family saw the sunrise over the Grand Canyon, drove their van all the way to San Francisco and accidently ended up at the Calgary Stampede. Ken and his wife Nancy cherished each other and were blessed to be able to spend a great deal of time in recent years traveling to most of their dream destinations as well as enjoying the seasons in Chicago, Michigan and Florida. Ken's favorite places in the world were Napa Valley, Key West, Paris, Alaska, any National Park, the back deck in Buchanan, and the most recent addition his lanai in Florida.

It seemed like most Chicagoans knew Ken Gillis in some way or another. His life's work was centered on advocacy and justice in all shapes and sizes. A standard career path was never for Ken; his career was about uncovering opportunities to make a difference. His resume includes a wide range of positions and a number of high-profile cases. Taking his University of Chicago degree to a large law firm was never in the cards. Early in his career, he defended the Chicago gang, the Blackstone Rangers and recently, he consulted with Northwestern's Center for Wrongful Convictions because he believed that every one deserved a fair trial. He served as a defense attorney, advocate, in-house counsel, prosecutor, mediator and judge. He taught Remedies and Trial Advocacy at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law for many years, including one year when he received a teaching award. As a judge, he had the opportunity to rule for freedom of expression in a series of cases against the Art Institute of Chicago and against closing down outdoor beer gardens. He argued in front of the US Supreme Court, not once, but three times, and even served as an expert witness at Her Majesty, the Queen's Court in London. There is an endless stream of stories of the countless times that Ken made a difference for an individual, a group or a principle. Ken did not believe in retirement and, last week from his hospital bed, took on three new legal matters. When you love what you do, it isn't simply work. Ken was honored and delighted every time someone sought his help or advice.

Ken was the adopted parent to various furry family members beginning with Casper, Wimbledon, Holmes, Deuce, Sunshine and Casey. Ken and his wife were volunteers for PAWS Chicago over the last several years. A couple of times each month they would load up the PAWS van with animals that needed to be moved from the rescue site to the adoption site. They would then return to the rescue clinic with a van full of items that had been donated at the adoption site. Recently they were continuing on as last minute fill-ins on the schedule.

In July Ken and Nancy decided that their home had been without fur for long enough after the loss of their beloved Deuce. So they went to PAWS Chicago as adopters. Ken noticed a black kitten that sauntered over to him and started purring away. The volunteer went on to say the kitten had floppy kitten syndrome and would not be able to jump very high. And in fact the saunter was an uncoordinated walk. And oh by the way, kittie was very attached to one of her siblings and the volunteer voiced concerns about separating them. Once home, Ken saw how Sunshine could not keep up with Casey in the jumping department and was missing out on a lot of fun. So he got baskets and turned them upside down in strategic places so Sunshine could get up onto couches, chairs, windowsills, and the bed. Ken was in the process of constructing sturdier steps to place around the house so that anywhere Casey went, Sunshine was sure to follow. They join his human family in missing Ken.

We little knew that morning, God was going to call your name.
In life we loved you dearly; in death we'll do the same.
You left us beautiful memories, Your love is still our guide.
Our family chain is broken, And nothing seems the same.

Visitation Monday, November 16 from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Michalik Funeral Home, 1056 W. Chicago Ave., Chicago, IL 60642. Family and friends will gather Tuesday, November 17 for a 10:00 a.m. Funeral Mass at Holy Name Cathedral, 735 N. State St., Chicago, IL 60610. Interment private.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to PAWS Chicago, www.pawschicago.org .

For further info please call 312-421-0936.