Funeral Details

Herbert H. Franks

Farmer, Lawyer, Visionary

Herbert H. Franks, the Jewish pig farmer from Marengo, went down swinging on October 31, 2023. He was a friend to all, a giant in the legal profession, a pillar in the community and a force of nature. Herb, 89, beloved husband of Eileen (nee Pepper), loving father of David Franks, Jack Franks, Eli Franks (Robin), cherished grandfather of Kevin Crews, Samuel Franks, Henry Franks, Miriam Franks, Olivia Franks and Joseph Franks, dear brother of Helen Lindow (nee Franks), Betty Sobelman (nee Franks), Judith Farah (nee Franks) and the late Sheldon Franks. He was born in Joliet, Illinois on January 25, 1934. He was raised in Marengo, Illinois on the family farm, in an old farm house with limited in-door plumbing, and a two-hole outhouse. He graduated from Roosevelt University, served in the U.S. Army achieving the rank of Sergeant, and graduated from the American University Washington College of Law in Washington, D.C. While on serving on active duty and attending law school, he worked on “The Hill” for Congressman Barrett O’Hara, where he forged many life-long friendships. After graduating law school, he returned to the cornfields of Illinois, and worked as a partner in the law firm of Canfield and Canfield, and later Franks and Wylde, in Rockford, Illinois. He became active in local, State and national politics, eventually being elected as President of the Young Democrats of the State of Illinois. In 1976 he built a law office building on farmland in Marengo that his family owned and he plowed as a young boy. He achieved the first one-million-dollar personal injury jury award in McHenry County, establishing himself as a premier personal injury and worker’s compensation Attorney. In 1979, he and his wife, Eileen, and four other families, established the McHenry County Jewish Congregation. He, along with his sister, Helen Lindow, formed, built and chaired the First National Bank of Marengo and started the Wonder Lake State Bank Group. In 2000, he was sworn in as President of the Illinois State Bar Association, the largest voluntary Bar Association in the world. As the ISBA President, he successfully challenged the unauthorized practice of law in the State of Illinois.

Then Governor Rod Blagojevich appointed him to the State of Illinois Judicial Review Board, investigating and adjudicating complaints of judicial misconduct. An avid fisherman, he was chosen as a field tester for the Abu-Garcia fishing equipment company and participated in professional walleye tournaments across North America. He loved to play the ponies at Arlington Race Track, and poker at Ceasar’s Palace. He loved the Marriott Lincolnshire Theater and Chicago theater. When he was not planning and taking his family on annual international vacations, he planned and took friends and family on annual fishing trips to Ontario, Canada, where one could hear him calling for northern pike and walleye as if he were calling for pigs to eat at trough.

He was a die-hard White Sox and Bears fan. He loved reading, traveling, fishing, mentoring, investing in the stock market, and spending time with his family.

Memorial Service will be Friday, November 3, 2023, 10:30 AM at Congregation Kneseth Israel, 330 Division Street, Elgin, Illinois. Interment at McHenry County Jewish Cemetery, located at Oakland Cemetery, 14307 Kishwaukee Valley Road, Woodstock, Illinois 60098 following the Memorial Service. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Friends of the Israeli Defense Forces, www.fidf.org. To attend the funeral via live stream, please visit our website. Arrangements by Chicago Jewish Funerals - Buffalo Grove Chapel, 847.229.8822, www.cjfinfo.com