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E Lawrence . 'Larry' Oldfield Glen Ellyn, IL QCWA # 21030 |
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E. Lawrence "Larry" Oldfield, 72, passed away March 18, 2017. Larry was born December 21, 1944 in Lake Forest, IL and was raised in Brooklyn, NY. Since 1977 he lived in Glen Ellyn, IL with his beloved wife of 43 years, Kaaren (Sabey).
An avid classical pianist, Larry had the honor of playing Hungarian Rhapsody at Carnegie Hall with his piano teacher, and was offered the opportunity to attend Juilliard School of Music. He attended Long Island University and Wheaton College, where he participated in an archaeology expedition to Jordan.
He stayed overseas and hitchhiked through Europe, eventually returning home by joining the U.S. Army in Germany. He served in the 3rd Missile Battalion, 21st Artillery Regiment, where he earned the nickname "Barney" as the Colonel's driver.
He received his Bachelor's Degree in Political Science from Northern Illinois University and became a Federal Agent for HUD before enrolling at DePaul University Law School in Chicago. Larry was as an attorney for Ruff & Grotefeld, Ltd., The Hartford Fire Insurance Company as General Counsel in the Livestock Department for 10 years, and in 1987, started his own firm, E. Lawrence Oldfield & Associates, in Oak Brook, IL. He then founded Oldfield & Fox, P.C. in 2000. Since 2015, Larry was of counsel, for Stock, Carlson, Oldfield & McGrath LLC. Larry defended litigation cases involving cattle rustling and the sale or purchase of stolen or mortgaged livestock in 26 states and 19 federal jurisdictions, including the U.S. Supreme Court. He was involved in 15 reported Appellate cases in the United States, including one that was heard by the U.S. Supreme Court. He was the preferred legal counsel in the United States for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA), and an annual speaker at their conference. He held the highest peer review rating (AV-Preeminent) from Martindale-Hubbell.
Larry served the community in numerous ways: as Vice-President and President of the Executives' Breakfast Club of Oak Brook, and its Board of Governors; as an elder at Christ Church of Oak Brook; as a member of the Oak Brook Chamber of Commerce, serving on their Public Policy Council; and on the Boards of Directors of many not-for-profit organizations.
Larry was politically active throughout his life, participating as trustee of the Glen Ellyn Village Board and District 41 School Board. He was an active member of the Wheaton Masonic Lodge #269, VFW Post #2164, Kiwanis Club, and the Elks and Moose Lodges.
Larry's hobbies included golf, fishing, hunting, Ham Radio (WA9RTE), writing, dancing, chess and travel.
Larry is preceded in death by his parents, Reverends Ernest and Evelyn (Gyllenberg) Oldfield; his sister, Sandra Oldfield; and his grandparents, Reverends Walter and Mabel Oldfield, pioneer missionaries to China during the Boxer Rebellion. Larry is survived by his wife, Kaaren (Sabey); daughters, Kim Oosterhouse (Luke) and Lauren Oldfield (Richard); grandchildren, Kyle and Lindsey Oosterhouse; mother-in-law, Eleanor Sabey, and numerous brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Larry's life will be celebrated on Friday, April 7th at 11:00 am at Christ Church of Oak Brook in Oak Brook, IL.
Donations may be made to: Christ Church of Oak Brook Memorial Fund, 501 Oak Brook Rd., Oak Brook, IL 60523, www.cc-ob.org or The Conservation Foundation, 10 S 404 Knoch Knolls Rd., Naperville, IL 60565, www.theconservationfoundation.org.
Published in Chicago Suburban Daily Herald on Mar. 26, 2017
Education: Samuel J. Tilden High School, Brooklyn, New York (1961); Long Island University (1961-1962); Wheaton College (1962-1964); Near East School of Archaeology (1964); Northern Illinois University (1968-1969 -- B.A. Political Science; Pi Sigma Alpha - National Political Science Honorary Society); Depaul University School of Law (1070-1973).
Military Service: U.S. Army (1964-1967) - 3rd Missile Battalion, 21st Artillery Regiment.
Work Background: Federal Agent DHUD, working with the U.S. Justice Department (1969-1970); Ruff & Grotefeld, Ltd., Associate Attorney (1973-1977); Hartford Fire Insurance Company, General Counsel of the Livestock Department for U.S. and Canada (1977-1987); E. Lawrence Oldfield & Associates (1987-1999); Oldfield & Fox, P.C. (2000 to 2015); Huck Bouma P.C. (2015 to present).
Hobbies: Ham Radio, Hunting, Fishing, Golf, Chess.