John C. Menk, 86, of Winnetka, a trial attorney and former Chicago Bar Association president who was active in Republican politics on the North Shore, died Tuesday, Oct. 3, in Chatsworth, Calif., of complications related to pneumonia. Colleagues said Mr. Menk was adept at trial preparation and equally at home in the courtroom, a savvy defense attorney who could deliver stirring remarks. “He loved helping people find the truth–and he loved being in the courtroom; he was definitely part actor,” said his daughter, Carolyn Murphy. She said her father had wanted to be a minister growing up. An altruistic man, he saw the legal profession as a way to help others. “If you talked to people who tried cases with and against John, they would tell you he loved the law. He was very thorough and very capable,” said Terry Murphy, Chicago Bar Association executive director. Chicago attorney Philip Corboy Sr. called him “a consummate professional” who never lost his simple approach to the law. “He taught me a lot just by watching him and how he handled himself,” Corboy said. “He was a man of his word, and you could take his word to the bank.” Mr. Menk had a down-to-Earth manner and found humor in aspects of day-to-day life. His wife, Millie, and son, John C. Menk Jr., died in 1995. Mr. Menk grew up on Chicago’s Northwest Side and attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the 1930s before transferring to John Marshall Law School. He received his law degree and passed the bar exam in 1939. Mr. Menk was active in the GOP and mounted an unsuccessful bid to the state House of Representatives in 1958. He was a member of the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission and served on the board of the Chicago Bar Association. He was the association’s general counsel from 1967 to 1973 and its president in 1975. For years, he represented the University of Chicago and Evanston Hospitals. In 1977, he was appointed by the court to oversee the estate of missing candy heiress Helen Vorhees Brach. Besides his daughter, survivors include four grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Oct. 21 in Winnetka Congregational Church, 725 Pine St., Winnetka.
