Dennis W. Gorman: 1942-2024

This week we are saying goodbye to our retired law partner, friend and mentor Dennis W. Gorman. On Tuesday morning, June 25, Dennis passed away peacefully in Blessing Hospital after a quiet but steadfast battle with cancer. He was 82 years old.

Dennis practiced law for fifty years, beginning in 1967 in a partnership with Ira C. Pierson. He built a strong private practice in banking, real estate, probate and small corporations. He then began a lengthy career as a school lawyer, first for Quincy Public School District #172 and then for several other public school districts in West-Central Illinois, Culver-Stockton College and Quincy University. He was a lecturer in school law at Quincy University for several years.

After practicing law in various other partnerships, Dennis joined our law firm in 1995 and remained here through his retirement in 2017. He was particularly grateful and honored to work here with his late son and law partner, Brett K. Gorman. Dennis believed in practicing law in the “grand manner” as emphasized by John E. Cribbet, his favorite professor in law school, who later became the University of Illinois College of Law Dean and then University Chancellor. Dennis was a past President of the Adams County Bar Association. 

Our firm will miss Dennis’ warm smile, quick wit, and loyal friendship. We thank his wife Barbara Keller Gorman for sharing him with our law firm family for so many years. 

A full obituary, including services and memorials, may be found at hansenspear.com.