LeRoy “Roy” Winer, 95, a former Cook County associate judge and Illinois Commerce Commission hearing officer who practiced law until he was 90, died Saturday, Jan. 27, in The Wealshire senior care center in Lincolnshire. Mr. Winer served on the Cook County bench during the late 1960s, handling cases in traffic and misdemeanor court in the circuit’s 1st and 5th Districts. He developed a reputation as “tough-minded and stern, but fair,” said his son, Sherwin, also an attorney. Before his appointment to the bench, Mr. Winer worked as a hearing officer for the Illinois Commerce Commission. After leaving the court, he went into private practice with his son, handling everything from criminal defense work to real estate cases and corporate law. “He really enjoyed practicing law,” said Sherwin Winer. “He took a lot of pride in helping people out of difficult situations.” From the 1950s through the 1970s, Mr. Winer was active in the 40th Ward Democratic Organization and was close with then Aldermen Nathan Kaplan and Seymour Simon, who later went on to become an Illinois Supreme Court judge, his son said. Mr. Winer served in World War II as a staff sergeant in the infantry, and from 1943 to 1945 he saw combat in the Pacific. Mr. Winer is also survived by a daughter, Barbara; a brother, Morris; three grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. A funeral was held Monday.
