Nashville judge William Griffin IV died Sept. 22 at the age of 81. A Nashville native, Griffin attended Montgomery Bell Academy and received his undergraduate and law degrees from Vanderbilt University. He practiced law in Nashville for more than 30 years, followed by 12 years serving Davidson County as a juvenile court judge. A graveside service will be held Oct. 7 at noon CDT at Harpeth Hills Memory Gardens, 9090 TN-100, Nashville 37221. Following the service, a celebration of life will take place at Dalton's Grill, 7061 US-70S, Nashville 37221. In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations to Montgomery Bell Academy.

Nashville lawyer Walter Henry Crouch died Set. 14 at the age of 79. Crouch served in the U.S. Air Force and then entered the University of Tennessee College of Law. He served as an attorney with the Nashville law firm of Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis for more than 48 years. In addition to his legal career, Crouch enjoyed spending time fishing and traveling and was an avid researcher of family ancestry. A memorial service will be held tomorrow at Christ Church Cathedral, 900 Broadway, Nashville 37203. Visitation will take place from noon to 1 p.m. CDT. The service will begin at 1 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Charles Robb & Mary Jane Sweeney Endowed Scholarship Fund, c/o Belmont University Office of Advancement, 1900 Belmont Blvd., Nashville, TN 37212.

Retired Davidson County Judge Seth Norman has died at age 89, the Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts reports. Norman served as a criminal court judge from 1990 until his retirement in 2018. He was widely recognized for establishing the Davidson County Drug Court in 1996, one of the first recovery courts in the country. In 1998, the program started the first court-operated residential drug court in the United States. Norman also founded the 13th Judicial District Recovery Court in 2011 and the Morgan County Residential Recovery Court in 2013. Norman was a native of Nashville and had enrolled at Vanderbilt University before leaving college to enlist in the United States Air Force, where he served from 1953-1957. He continued his service in the Tennessee Air National Guard until 1965. He also continued his education, graduating from the Nashville School of Law in 1962.

David "Breck" Breckenridge Grover died Sept. 15 after a lengthy hospital stay. A native of Knoxville, Grover graduated from The McCallie School in Chattanooga, the University of Tennessee (where he took care of the school’s mascot Smokey) and the University of Memphis School of Law. After graduating from law school, he took a job with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), before finally settling in Denver. His employment included years in the oil and gas industry and the legal community, finally retiring after 12 years in city government. Services will take place on Oct. 17 at 1 p.m. MDT at St. John’s Cathedral, 1350 N. Washington St., Denver, Colorado, 80203.A reception will follow at the church. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. John’s Cathedral.

Memphis lawyer Roy Keathley died Sept. 16. He was 90. From an early age, Keathley worked for his family’s pie company, helping grow the business from door-to-door sales into a multi-factory enterprise with national distribution. He graduated from Vanderbilt University and served in both the U.S. Army and Army Reserve. He attended Vanderbilt University Law School and graduated in 1957. In 1961, Keathley joined Donelson & Adams (now Baker Donelson), where he handled complex corporate transactions. He was active in the community, serving as president of the Memphis University Club and as a member of the Rotary Club. Memorial donations may be made to Grace St. Luke's Episcopal Church, 1720 Peabody Ave., Memphis, TN 38104 or Church Health, 1350 Concourse Ave., Ste. 142, Memphis, TN 38104.

Charles Fentress, a Nashville native and one of the city’s longest-serving Metro Council members, died Monday at 93. Fentress was first elected to the council in 1975 and served as the District 34 council member until 1999. After graduating from Vanderbilt University in 1952, Fentress worked as an educator, as vice president of personnel at Cain-Sloan Company and president of the Argus Foundation, a Nashville political consulting firm. While at Cain-Sloan, he attended the Nashville School of Law and was admitted to the bar in 1969. Fentress was active in the community, serving on the boards of the Nashville Chamber of Commerce, Junior Achievement and The Children's Museum, and as president of the Nashville Boosters and Nashville Exchange Club. In addition, he served as Nashville director of the National Federation of Independent Business from 1991 to 1998.

Munford native and former Knoxville attorney Frankie Ellis Wade died Thursday. She was 80. Wade attended the University of Tennessee Knoxville and majored in home economics. After having two children as an army wife, Wade returned to Knoxville to raise her family and later attended law school at UT. She began her career in law in 1978 as the only female lawyer at Ambrose, Wilson and Grimm in Knoxville. Wade soon started her own firm and became a family law attorney, serving as an active member of both the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility and the Tennessee Bar Association. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Frankie Ellis Wade Scholarship Endowment at the University of Tennessee. This scholarship provides an opportunity for former Lady Vol student-athletes to pursue a law degree. A Celebration of Life Service will be held Sept. 15 at 10 a.m. CDT at Idlewild Church, 1750 Union Ave. Memphis, with a reception to follow. Please wear your UT orange! See more. 

Memphis attorney Rehimhan "Rehim/Ray" Babaoglu died on Aug. 24. He was born in Milan, Italy, in 1946. His family immigrated to the United States in 1951, and he attended Rutgers University, graduating in 1969 with a degree in Russian language and literature. Babaoglu served in the U.S. Army Reserve in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and later he and his wife, Lydia, moved to midtown Memphis. Babaoglu attended Memphis State University College of Law, earning his law degree in 1974. After graduation, Babaoglu embarked on a 45-plus year career specializing in immigration law. He served both the Memphis Bar Association and Mid-South Immigration Advocates as a board member, and was on the board of directors of Memphis Area Legal Services for nearly 22 years, serving two years as chair. Services are private with a celebration for Babaoglu scheduled for a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his name to the Memphis Zoo, New Ballet Ensemble and School or the Captain Paul Watson Foundation.

Former TBA board member and Nashville attorney Nathan Evan Shelby died on Wednesday. He was 43. A Memphis native, Shelby received his undergraduate degree from the University of Tennessee and his law degree from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphrey School of Law, graduating magna cum laude. While in law school, Shelby interned for Magistrate Judge Diane K. Vescovo in the Western District of Tennessee and Tennessee Court of Appeals Judge W. Frank Crawford. Shelby was a member of Rainey, Kizer, Reviere & Bell for 16 years, first in Jackson and then as the firm's lead attorney in Nashville. He focused his practice primarily in the areas of general insurance defense, business litigation, nursing home defense litigation and construction litigation. Shelby was active in the Tennessee Bar Association, beginning with service in the Young Lawyers Division and later representing West Tennessee and the 10th District on the TBA Board of Governors. Visitation will be held tomorrow from 2-4 p.m. CDT at Connell Memorial United Methodist Church, 113 Church St. in Goodlettsville, followed by a celebration of life from 4-5 p.m at the church.

Chattanooga attorney John McConnell Wolfe Jr., a frequent candidate for political office, died Monday at 69. Wolfe earned his law degree from the University of Memphis School of Law. After graduating, he established a private practice as a trial attorney. A reflection on his life notes that Wolfe “was notorious for representing those with cases no one else wanted to take. He did his best to give a voice and justice to those who otherwise would not have access to it, focusing his practice on civil rights and many pro bono cases in his later practice years.” The Chattanoogan noted his many campaigns in its report: he ran unsuccessfully in 2012 and 2016 for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination; in 2007 for the state Senate; in 1998, 2002 and 2004 for the U.S. Congress; and in 2001 for Chattanooga mayor. Memorial donations may be made to the Notre Dame High School Tuition Assistance Program, 2701 Vermont Ave., Chattanooga, TN 37404 or to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, 501 South Moore Road, Chattanooga, TN 37412.