John G. Stewart and his wife, Nancy, were asleep in the wee hours of June 17, 1972, when the phone rang with news that five men has been arrested inside his office at the Democratic National Committee headquarters where he was director of communications. At that moment he could not have known the impact of what would became known as Watergate. Prior to joining the DNC, Stewart had been deeply involved in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as a top aide to Sen. Hubert Humphrey. Later in life, he moved to Tennessee, serving as a longtime executive for the Tennessee Valley Authority. Stewart died Wednesday at age 86 after a lengthy illness. Knoxnews.com has more on his life and career and the legacy that lives in in his son, state Rep. Mike Stewart, D-Nashville.

Investment banker and lawyer Forrest Shoaf has died. He was 71. Shoaf was a West Point graduate who went on to earn his law degree from Harvard Law School. He joined Bass, Berry & Sims in Nashville and left in 1995 to serve as general counsel on Lamar Alexander’s presidential campaign. He ran for the 7th Congressional District seat in 2002, coming in fifth in the Republican primary won by Marsha Blackburn. He would later refer to his campaign as a “cure for narcissism.” Shoaf later moved on to J.C. Bradford & Co. as managing director for corporate finance. Read more from the Tennessee Journal.

Memphis attorney Henri Lynne Smith died Saturday. She was 65. Smith earned her law degree from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law and for more than three decades was a successful civil lawyer. During a bid for city court judge in 1996, Smith's campaign slogan read, “Justice is blind, except for respect.” Visitation for Smith will be held tomorrow from 5 to 7 p.m. CDT at Memphis Funeral Home, 5599 Poplar Ave.

Harold “Bud” Rohen, former Criminal Court Clerk for Hamilton County, passed away on Saturday. He was 84. Rohen was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and served as court clerk until his retirement. A graveside service will be on Oct. 4 at 2 p.m. EDT at the Chattanooga National Cemetery. There will be no visitation. In lieu of flowers, the family request donations to Hospice of Chattanooga in memory of Rohen. Those interested can leave a message or condolences for the family here.

The Administrative Office of the Courts has announced visitation and funeral arrangements for state Supreme Court Justice Cornelia “Connie” Clark, who died last week. Clark will lie in state in the Old Supreme Court Chambers in the Tennessee State Capitol on Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Visitation will take place at the First United Methodist Church of Franklin, 120 Aldersgate Way, Franklin, TN 37069 on Thursday from 2 to 7 p.m. and Friday from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Funeral services will take place Friday at noon at the church with a livestream expected on the church website. All times central. The burial will be private.

The AOC also reported today that the Supreme Court building in Nashville will be open during business hours starting today through Friday afternoon for those who would like to spend a few moments of silence in the courtroom or share remembrances of Justice Clark in a hand-crafted book that will be given to the Clark family.

Services were held earlier this month for Susan Gail Sisson, who died Aug. 18 at 67. Sisson had spent three months in the hospital after having been diagnosed for the third time with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a disease she fought for seven years. Sisson earned her law degree from the University of Houston Law Center and her Master of Library Science degree from the University of Tennessee. In her last position, she served as director of library services for the Chattanooga office of Miller & Martin. Memorial donations may be made to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Heifer International or Smile Train.

The Memphis Bar Association (MBA) will livestream its annual Memorial Service on Friday at 11 a.m. CDT. Earlier this month, MBA announced it would be limiting in-person attendance at the event to members of the judiciary and those presenting. The livestream can be found on Calvary Episcopal Church’s Facebook page or on its YouTube channel. Those who wish to memorialize an attorney or judge may do so by donating to the Memphis Bar Foundation. A Memorial Booklet for the event can be found here.  

Dyersburg lawyer Noel Hugh “Skip” Riley II died Sept. 15 at 76. After earning a law degree in 1972 from Memphis State University, Riley began practicing law in Dyersburg and served there for almost 50 years. He was an avid fisherman and duck hunter, loved to play racquetball, and was passionate about the Tennessee VOLS. Funeral services were held yesterday at the Curry Funeral Home in Dyersburg. Interment followed in the New Haven Cemetery in Ridgely. Memorial donations may be made to Ridgely First United Methodist Church, 120 S. Church St., Ridgely, TN 38080 or Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, 848 Adams Ave., Memphis, TN 38103.

Services have now been announced for Nashville lawyer Jim Cheek III, a top corporate and securities lawyers and a Bass Berry & Sims mainstay for more than five decades. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. CDT on Oct. 9 at Christ Church Cathedral in Nashville. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Cheek Business Law Scholars Program at Vanderbilt University Law School, Montgomery Bell Academy or Cheekwood. The firm is also collecting condolences and tributes for the Cheek family via tributes@bassberry.com. Read more about his career from the law school.

The Memphis Bar Association will be limiting in-person attendance at its annual Memorial Service to members of the judiciary and those presenting at the Sept. 24 event. Others, including family and friends of the deceased, will be able to watch via livestream beginning at 11 a.m. CDT. Look for more details, including the link to watch, coming soon.