Longtime Memphis lawyer and businessman Leo Joseph Buchignani died Friday (Nov.1). He was 90. After graduating from Harvard Law School in 1948, Buchignani returned to his hometown of Memphis and became a leader in law, business and politics. He was a founder of the modern Republican Party in Shelby County, was elected to the Tennessee Republican State Executive Committee and served as Memphis and Shelby County Bar Association president. With two of his partners, he founded Catherine’s and built it into a 74-store national chain that pioneered the plus-sized women’s clothing business. Visitation will be 4-7 p.m. Tuesday at Canale Funeral Directors. The funeral mass will be 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Burial will follow at Calvary Cemetery.

Chattanooga pastor Ben Haden died yesterday morning (Oct. 24). He was 88. Before being called to the ministry, Haden earned degrees from Washington and Lee University and the University of Texas at Austin. He had been in the newspaper business in Kingsport, earned his law degree, and served for a time in the CIA. He served as pastor of First Presbyterian Church for 31 years, during which time his television program "Changed Lives" was syndicated to radio and TV stations nationwide. Funeral services will be held at First Presbyterian Church on McCallie Ave Tuesday at 11 a.m., the Chattanoogan reports. The family will receive friends after the service.

Memphis attorney James Clark Blackburn died yesterday (Oct. 23) at the age of 79. A graduate of the University of Arkansas School of Law, Blackburn moved to Memphis in 1959 where he practiced law for 40 years until his retirement. He was appointed a member of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights by President John F. Kennedy and served on a special committee to investigate police brutality in Memphis after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King. Visitation will be 12:30 p.m. Saturday with service immediately following at 1:30 p.m. at Neshoba Unitarian Universalist Church in Cordova. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Arts Memphis, the Wolf River Conservancy, or a charity of the donor’s choice.

Leroy Lemayne Hidinger Jr. died Saturday (Oct. 19) in Memphis at the age of 93. A graduate of the University of Mississippi, Hidinger began pursuing a law degree at the University of Virginia but was interrupted by World War II. After the war, Hidinger completed his law degree at Southern Law University, which later became part of the University of Memphis. He went on to earn a master degree in business from the Wharton School. In 1950, he opened Cavalier Cleaners and operated the business for 62 years. Services will be held Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. at Memorial Park Funeral Home. The family will receive friends from 10 to 11:30 a.m. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. John's United Methodist Church Endowment Fund, 1207 Peabody Ave., Memphis, TN 38104, or the Church Health Center, 1196 Peabody Ave., Memphis, TN 38104. The Commercial Appeal has more on his life.

Ernie Murphy Downing Sr. died Wednesday (Oct. 9) at the age of 82. Originally from Obion County, he graduated in 1968 from Memphis State University School of Law, where he was a member of the Sigma Delta Kappa National Legal Aid and Defender Association. In 1978, Downing was appointed as a Colonel Aide de Camp to the Tennessee governor's staff. Funeral services will be Saturday at 5 p.m. in the Chapel of Johnson-Williams Funeral Home in Newbern. The Commercial Appeal has more on Downing's life.

Retired Bartlett lawyer Malford Allen Blankenship died Saturday (Sept. 21). He was 89. A graduate of Memphis State Law School, Blankenship worked as corporate lawyer for the Kaiser Corporation. Other life experiences included performing as a musician with Mal Allen and The Melody boys, working as a disc jockey for a country radio station, serving as a naval aviator in World War II and chairing the local “We The People” forum. A graveside service will be Tuesday at 2 p.m. at Indian Creek Cemetery in Bartlett. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be given to Bartlett Baptist Church, 3465 Kirby Whitten Rd., Bartlett, TN 38135. The Commercial Appeal has more on his life.

Retired federal judge Michael A. Lasher Jr. of Germantown died Sunday (Sept. 15). Lasher, 81, graduated from the University of Louisville School of Law and practiced law in Phoenix before becoming a judge with the Bureau of Mine Safety. His work took him to Washington, D.C., and Denver. Lasher moved to Germantown 20 years ago after retiring from government service. A private graveside service will be held at Calvary Cemetery in Memphis. The family suggests that memorials be made to the Memphis Humane Society, 935 Farm Rd., Memphis, TN 38134. The Commercial Appeal has more on his life.

Retired Knoxville area lawyer Willard Nathaniel Albert died at his home Saturday (Sept. 14). He was 91.  Albert practiced law in the Fountain City area for more than 60 years after graduating from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1945 as a part of the first G.I. Bill class. After spending the first part of his career working with Charles Davis and Ray Jenkins, Albert moved to the Fountain City area as a solo practitioner. In 1959, he built his office on North Broadway Street where he continued to practice until his retirement. The family received friends and held a funeral service over the weekend. An internment service was held today. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Dutch Valley Church of God, 1416 Breda Dr., Knoxville, TN 37918 to support the church's mission work. Knoxnews has more on Albert's life.

Chancellor Ron E. Harmon of the 24th Judicial District died Saturday (Sept. 14) following a long illness. In announcing the news, Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Gary Wade said, "All within the judicial branch of government mourn the death of Chancellor Ron Harmon of Hardin County. A kind and gracious man, who fought his long-term illness with dignity and courage, Chancellor Harmon reflected during his lifetime all that is good in the trial judiciary." Judge Creed McGinley, presiding judge in the 24th District, echoed those sentiments saying Harmon "was widely known for his quick wit, keen mind and common sense."

Visitation will take place Wednesday from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Hardin County Courthouse. A memorial service will follow at 5:30 p.m. Arrangements are being handled by Shackelford Funeral Home in Savannah. Memorial donations may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Pl., Memphis, TN 38105 or the Hardin County Children's Fund at SunTrust Bank, 275 Main St., Savannah, TN 38372. The AOC has more reactions to the news. The Jackson Sun has more on his life.

Thomas Franklin Ingram of Lenoir City died Sept. 1 at the age of 88. He earned his law degree from Cumberland School of Law in 1950 after serving in the U.S. Navy as a pilot in World War II. He worked for the FBI in Washington, D.C., before moving back to Lenoir City to practice law. He then was a general sessions judge in Loudon County and later Lenoir City judge. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to Central United Methodist Church, 301 Hickory Creek Rd., Lenoir City, TN 37771. Knoxnews has more on his life.