MARCH 2025 | 71 THE OKLAHOMA BAR JOURNAL and state candidates, including Rep. Bill Nations, and spent several years as a policy advisor to Sen. Kelly Haney. During the 2000 presidential campaign, he traveled the country as a staffer for Sen. Bill Bradley. Mr. Kiesel received his bachelor’s degree in political science in 2002 and his J.D. from the OU College of Law in 2006. During his second year of law school, he won the election to represent Seminole as state representative for House District 28 and served for three terms. Afterward, he served as executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma from 2011 until 2020. Mr. Kiesel’s career included working in private law practice, as an adjunct professor at the OU College of Law and as a lobbyist and consultant for a variety of interests at the state Capitol. For 13 years, his insightful commentary on This Week in Oklahoma Politics – a weekly show on KOSU, the local NPR affiliate – offered listeners an honest and incisive look at state and national affairs. Memorial contributions may be made to a college education fund for Oliver and Claire at any BancFirst branch or https://tinyurl.com/KieselMemorialFund. Jim D. Kutch of Aptos, California, died Dec. 15. He was born Nov. 21, 1935, in Hobart. Mr. Kutch graduated from OU in 1957 and received his J.D. from the OCU School of Law in 1969. He received his certified financial planner designation in 1986 from the College for Financial Planning in Denver. He began his military service in the U.S. Navy at the Navy Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island, and then served on the USS Basilone. He attended Fleet Sonar School and finished in the Naval Reserves in Oklahoma in 1972. Mr. Kutch detached from the Navy as a lieutenant. His career included serving in various leadership positions at Fidelity Bank, American Bank of Commerce, American National Bank of Midwest City and Security Bank of Midwest City. From 1987 to 1995, he practiced at the Oklahoma City law firm of Pate and Payne in the areas of estate planning, elder law, probate and charitable giving. He was the director of capital support and planned giving at OCU from 1995 until his retirement in December 2000. Mr. Kutch was a member of the American Bar Association, the Oklahoma County Bar Association, the Oklahoma City Estate Planning Council and the Registry of CFP Licensed Practitioners. He also served on the boards of several metropolitan civic organizations, including the American Cancer Society, the Chamber of Commerce of South Oklahoma City and Midwest City and several area YMCA branches. He was a member of Mayfair Church of Christ in Oklahoma City for over 30 years and served as a deacon for part of that time. Ross Nicholas Lillard III of Washington died Jan. 11, 2024. He was born Oct. 6, 1947, in Oklahoma City. Mr. Lillard graduated from Lawton High School and attended OU, where he was a member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army and served in Vietnam, where he received commendation medals, including two bronze stars. He received his J.D. from the OCU School of Law in 1975. Mr. Lillard was an assistant to the district attorney in Cleveland County, a defense attorney and a federal prosecutor for the Western District of Oklahoma. He was president of the Cleveland County Bar Association from 1986 to 1987. Later, he received a Director’s Award from the U.S. attorney general. Memorial contributions may be made to a charity of your choice. Patricia Dougherty MacGuigan of Oklahoma City died Dec. 26. She was born Sept. 8, 1939, in Beaver, Pennsylvania. She received her J.D. from the OCU School of Law in 1975. She also held a bachelor’s degree from OU and an LL.M. from the University of Virginia. She was an administrative law judge for the Oil and Gas Conservation Division of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission from 2003 to 2021. She served as judge and presiding judge of the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals from 1982 to 1991. Earlier in her career, she was an assistant district attorney for Oklahoma County and an oil and gas litigation attorney for the Kerr-McGee Corp. Ms. MacGuigan served as master of the bench of the American Inns of Court XXIII in 1990. Otis Leo Osborn of Tulsa died March 5, 2024. He was born Oct. 30, 1925, in Newalla. Mr. Osborn graduated from Shawnee High School in 1943. After high school, he joined the U.S. Navy and was stationed in San Diego, where he served as a pharmacist’s mate in the U.S. Naval Hospital. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma Baptist University and received his J.D. from the OU College of Law. Mr. Osborn was an OBA member for more than
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