Henry H. Sugden III

Henry Hardy Sugden III, 73, of Woodstock, passed away on March 31, 2023, at his home in Woodstock, surrounded by his family. He was born on May 10, 1949, in Evanston, to Henry H Sugden II and Ida Frances (Bourland) Sugden. On September 5, 1981, he married Mary E Burke at St Mary Catholic Church, Woodstock.

Hank attended The Joseph Sears School, Kenilworth, and was a 1967 graduate of New Trier High School, Winnetka, where he was a member of the wrestling team. Along with his family, he attended The First Congregational Church, Wilmette. An active member of Wilmette Troop 2, Boy Scouts of America, Hank earned the rank of Eagle Scout in 1966. Summers of his youth were spent at the farm where his father was raised in Mukwonago, Wisconsin, and as a camper and later counselor at Camp Kooch-i-ching, International Falls, Minnesota.

He went on to attend Arizona State University, graduating in 1971. While at ASU, Hank was an active member of the Sigma Chi fraternity, forging lifelong friendships with his fraternity brothers. He was also elected to the ASU chapter of Sigma Delta Psi honorary athletic fraternity in 1969.

In June of 1975, he received his Juris Doctor degree from The John Marshall Law School, Chicago. In December 1975, he became an Assistant State’s Attorney for McHenry County, serving in that role until 1983, when he became an associate with the firm of Boback, Bianchi & Simko. In 1987, he joined the law firm of Ralph Madsen, and thereafter became a partner in the firm of Madsen, Sugden & Gottemoller. In 2018, he moved his law practice to Woodstock and retired from that location in 2021.

He was admitted to the Supreme Court of the United States in 1980, and to the Illinois Capital Litigation Trial Bar in 2003. From 2013 to 2021, he served as a Special Public Defender for McHenry County. He was a member of the McHenry County and Illinois Bar Associations.

Hank served as a trustee of the Wonder Lake Village Board and as President of Crimestoppers of McHenry County. A member of St Mary Parish, Woodstock, he served on the Finance Council and as an usher at Sunday Mass. An active parent with Boy Scout Troop 329, Woodstock, he served as Troop Committee Chairman, and led High Adventure trips to Boundary Waters in Minnesota and Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

He is survived by his wife, Mary, and their children, Henry IV, Elizabeth and Mary Frances (fiancé James Stratton); two sisters, Sally (Gordon) Jesse, Gilbert, Arizona, and Ann (Gary) Glade, St Charles; his mother-in-law, Dolores Burke, Batavia; brothers-in-law, William Verkin, Woodstock, Pat (Wendy) Burke, Woodstock, Rich (Leslie) Burke, Geneva; sisters-in-law, Marsha Burke, Concord, North Carolina, Joni Burke, DeKalb, and Monica (Rick) Hess, St Charles; an aunt, Dorothy (Kenneth) Sugden, Mukwonago, Wisconsin; and many cousins, nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be Friday, April 14, 2023, from 3:00 pm ­­­ to 7:00 pm at Schneider-Leucht-Merwin-Cooney Funeral Home, 1211 N Seminary Avenue, Woodstock. Visitation will continue at the funeral home on Saturday, April 15, 2023, at 10:00 am until the Prayer Service at 11:00 am. Interment at Calvary Cemetery, Woodstock, will be private.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations to the following organizations. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society by visiting www.lls.org or by calling 888-557-7177. The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation by visiting www.sccf.org or by mail at Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation, P O Box 839, Sanibel FL 33957.

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