Lake County circuit judge dies from cancer at 59

Lake County Circuit Judge Thomas M. Schippers died Friday morning at 59.

Chief Judge Jay W. Ukena confirmed Schippers' death in a statement Friday.

"Those of us who served with him were inspired by his dedication to the law as well as his loving nature and were incredibly moved by the manner in which he addressed his valiant battle with cancer," Ukena said.

Schippers most recently served as the presiding judge of the Lake County Civil Division and worked in courtroom 303. He was retained by voters in the election last November. He was first elected circuit judge by voters in November 2012 and before that served as an associate judge after being appointed to that post in March 2007.

Before serving as a judge, Schippers worked as an assistant Lake County state's attorney, an assistant Illinois attorney general and a senior investigative counsel for the U.S. House of Representatives, according to the statement Ukena's office issued Friday.

Schippers lived in Mundelein with his family, including his wife Carol Schippers.

"Tom's keen intellect, sense of humor, guidance and support will be missed," Ukena said. "He was a man of great faith and a devoted public servant."