Cary Ann Bechly, 86, a longtime lawyer who helped establish a foundation that benefits aspiring lawyers, died Wednesday, Dec. 27, in Montgomery Place, a retirement home in Chicago. For more than 30 years, Ms. Bechly was an attorney with the law firm of Kirkland & Ellis, where she specialized in working with tax-exempt organizations, her family said. After she retired in 1977, she remained active in the law field. She was a board member of the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois Foundation until her death. She also served for many years as treasurer of the organization, which she helped found in 1966 to provide scholarships to Illinois women studying law. “She was dedicated to the law profession and wanted to encourage others to get involved as well,” said her brother Dan. After she was admitted to the state bar in 1938, Ms. Bechly briefly took a job at a legal publication before going to work for Kirkland & Ellis in 1944. After her retirement, Ms. Bechly moved to Flossmoor, returning to Chicago in 1995. In 1957, she was admitted before the bar of the U.S. Supreme Court. In addition to her brother, Ms. Bechly is survived by another brother, Fred. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday in Montgomery Place, 5550 South Shore Drive, Chicago.
