Nashville lawyer William Robert "Bob" Pope Jr. died April 29 at 75 after a brief illness. Originally from New York, Pope grew up in North Carolina. After serving in the U.S. Army from 1968 to 1970, he attended the University of Tennessee College of Law. As a lawyer, Pope was a partner at Gullet Sandford Robinson & Martin PLC for more than 20 years and at White & Reasor. He was a founding member and chair of the American Bar Association's Tax Section on Bankruptcy and Workout Committee, a trustee of the Tennessee Federal Tax Institute, a member of the Dean's Council for the University of Tennessee College of Law, and a regent of the American College of Tax Counsel. Memorial donations be made to The Sarah Cannon Cancer Fund, 1100 Martin L. King Blvd., Ste. 800, Nashville, TN 37203; Friends of Warner Parks, 50 Vaughn Rd., Nashville, TN 37221; Avalon Hospice, 2525 Perimeter Place Dr., Ste. 105, Nashville, TN 37214; or Hillsboro Presbyterian Church, 5820 Hillsboro Pk., Nashville, TN 37215.

Funeral and visitation details were released today to celebrate the life of Memphis attorney John Ryder. Visitation will be held Sunday from 3-5 p.m. CDT at Canale Funeral Directors, 2700 Union Ave. Extended, Memphis 38112. The funeral will be held Monday at 1 p.m. at St. John's Episcopal Church, 3245 Central Ave., Memphis 38111. A reception will follow in the parish hall. Memorials may be sent to St. John's Episcopal Church, Opera Memphis or Wabash College, 301 W. Wabash Ave., Crawfordsville, IN 47933. Ryder died Sunday after a long battle with cancer. He was 72 years old.

John Ryder, a Memphis attorney who was active in the state and national Republican parties for decades, died this weekend after a long a battle with cancer. He was 72 years old. Ryder practiced election and bankruptcy law at Harris Shelton and was widely considered an expert on election issues. He volunteered in a variety of different capacities in both government and politics. Most recently, he completed an appointment to the Tennessee Valley Authority. For 16 years he served on the board of the Tennessee Republican National Committee and more recently as the board’s general counsel. The Commercial Appeal has more on his life. Information about funeral services has not yet been announced.

Retired Court of Appeals Judge Charles D. Susano Jr. died on May 7. He was 86. Susano was in private practice for 30 years before being appointed to the Court of Appeals by former Gov. Ned McWherter in 1994. Susano remained on the bench for more than 25 years. At the time of his retirement in April 2020, he was the longest serving appellate judge in Tennessee, authoring more than 1,000 opinions and serving as chief judge of the Court of Appeals from 2013 to 2015. For the last 30 years, Susano was confined to a wheelchair after a sleepwalking accident left him paralyzed from the waist down. “I’m only handicapped if I let myself be,” Susano once said. “At worst, I have been challenged, forcing me to reinvent new ways to negotiate the new times.” Susano’s family will receive friends on May 16 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. EDT at at the Cathedral Hall at Sacred Heart in Knoxville. A funeral mass will be held on May 17 at 10 a.m. EDT at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Administrative Office of the Courts has more on where the public may make donations in Susano’s honor.

In recognition of the judicial service of recently departed judges, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee is planning a memorial service on June 17 at 2 p.m. in the Rotunda of the Fred D. Thompson U.S. Courthouse and Federal Building. Members of the bar and public are invited to join the court to honor the contribution and legacy of district judges Thomas A. Wiseman Jr., John T. Nixon, Thomas A. Higgins and Todd J. Campbell, and Sixth Circuit Court Judge Gilbert S. Merritt Jr. and Magistrate Judge Kent Sandidge. A reception will follow with the opportunity to tour the new courthouse.

Knoxville lawyer Linda Jean Hamilton Mowles died last Wednesday. She was 74. Funeral services were held at West Hills Presbyterian Church with burial following at Highland Memorial Cemetery. Mowles received her law degree from the University of Tennessee Law School in 1983 and spent her career at Lewis, King, Krieg & Waldrop arguing cases at the federal courts of appeal and the U. S. Supreme Court. She retired in 2013 as a shareholder after 30 years of practice. In her free time, Mowles wrote a personal blog, was an embroiderer and crafter, and enjoyed making clothes for children served by a local children’s nonprofit. Condolences may be shared on the funeral home's website.

Services were held last week for Memphis lawyer Jack Steven Magids, who died April 5 at the age of 74. A native of Houston, Magids moved to Memphis in 1972, where he built a law practice focused on corporate reorganizations, real estate finance and complex business transactions. He earned his law degree from the University of Texas School of Law. Memorial donations may be made to the Temple Israel Synagogue, 1376 East Massey Rd., Memphis 38120 or the American Cancer Society.

Crossville attorney Patrick Reynolds Egger passed away on Saturday. He was 71. Born in California, Egger was a 1972 graduate of Notre Dame University. He practiced law in California for 30 years before relocating to Crossville, where he continued to work as a public defender. A Celebration of Life service was held today for family and friends and a California service will be set at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to St. Jude Childrens’ Research Hospital.

A memorial service for former Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert E. “Bob” Simpson will take place April 22 according to his family. The event will take place at St. John's Episcopal Cathedral, 413 Cumberland Ave., Knoxville 37902. Simpson died Oct. 18, 2021, at the age of 93. Read more about his career and memorial opportunities in previous TBA Today coverage.

Knoxville attorney Thomas G. Slaughter died Sunday. He was 64. Originally from New Jersey, Slaughter stayed in Knoxville after earning his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law. He entered private practice in 1988, concentrating primarily in criminal defense. Slaughter joined the Anderson County Public Defender’s Office in 2020. Visitation will take place on Wednesday from 4 to 6 p.m. EDT at Click Funeral Home, 9020 Middlebrook Pike, Knoxville, TN 37923. Mass will be Thursday at 1:30 p.m. EDT at All Saints, 620 N. Cedar Bluff Rd., Knoxville, TN 37923. A reception will follow.