Joseph Quill

Joseph Francis “Joe” Quill 95, of Indianapolis, passed away peacefully on January 13, 2017. Joe was born on May 9, 1921, in Indianapolis to Hugh Michael and Mary Bernardine McCarthy Quill. Joe was a 1935 graduate of Holy Cross Grade School and a 1939 graduate of Cathedral High School. Joe started his education at Butler University where he played basketball. He later transferred to the University of Notre Dame. He left Notre Dame in 1943 to enter the Army Special Training Program and later serve with the U.S. 7th Army in Germany and France. During the post-WW II Occupation of Europe, Joe attended the Sorbonne in Paris, France. Joe was honorably discharged in 1946 when he returned to Notre Dame to finish his undergraduate degree in 1947 and his law degree in 1948. Joe and his wife, Dolores, were later married in the first building on the University of Notre Dame campus, the Log Chapel, by the Rev. Charles Carey C.S.C. Upon graduation from law school, Joe served in the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office for two years before embarking on a private practice which spanned almost 58 years. During this time he was a member of the professional association of Quill, Steckler, Bobberschmidt, Miller, and Turner. He was later of counsel to Rocap, Witchger and Threlkeld until his retirement in 2008. Joe was involved in several high profile cases during his legal career. With Frank A. Symmes, Sr. and Charles W. Symmes, Joe served as co-counsel for defendant Connie Nicholas who had been accused of murdering Eli Lilly Executive, Forrest Teal, in the late 1950’s. He was the last surviving legal professional involved in that case. Joe also served as lead counsel for many of the air traffic controllers in the Midwest Region of the U.S. who were members of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Association (“PATCO”) in their fight for better working conditions in the early 1980’s. Joe also served several stints as a Special Deputy Attorney General for the State of Indiana, and Mayor John Barton appointed Joe to the Marion County Flood Control Board. During Joe’s tenure on the Flood Control Board, it purchased and developed Eagle Creek Park and Reservoir. Joe remained active in veterans’ affairs for many years post military service. He was Past Commander of the Celtic American Legion Post of which he is a lifetime member. At the time of his death, he was a member of the Fort Benjamin Harrison American Legion Post. He is the Past Commander of the Eleventh District of the American Legion. Joe served as Vice Chairman with Richard Roudebush of the Indiana Veterans’ Affairs Commission and later served as Chairman under Governors Matthew Welsh and Roger Branigin. Additionally, he served on several national American Legion committees. Joe was a member of the Indianapolis and Indiana Bar Associations. He was past President of the Lawyers Association of Indianapolis (which later merged into the Indianapolis Bar Association) and is a former member of the Board of Directors of the Indianapolis Bar Association. Joe was a recipient of the 50-Year Award from the Indianapolis Bar Association for his 50 years of practice. Joe was also a member of various civic and social organizations. He was a member of the Board of Trustees of Cathedral High School. Along with Dolores, Joe worked tirelessly on behalf of Cathedral through his volunteer efforts with the Shamrauction and was an integral part of the school’s move from Meridian Street to its current location on East 56th Street. He was the 1996 Recipient of the Professional Achievement Award from Cathedral High School’s Board of Trustees. Joe was a member of the Notre Dame Club and served on its Board of Directors in the 1960’s and 1990’s. He was a member of the St. Thomas More Society in conjunction with the Notre Dame Law School. He was also a former member of the Board of Trustees of Vincennes University. Joe was a longtime member of the Indianapolis Athletic Club as well as Indian Lake Country Club. Joe had been a member of St. Matthew Catholic Church since 1976 as well as a member of the Fatima Council of the Knights of Columbus. Joe was preceded in death by his parents as well as his brothers, Hugh Michael Jr. and John Timothy Quill. He is survived by daughters, Adrienne Quill (Kriss Anderson) of Kettering, OH and Annette Quill (Scott Burnham) of Golden, CO and five grandchildren: Murphy and Roland Anderson and Cecelia, Charlotte, and Josephine Burnham. Joe is also survived by sister, Mary Ellen Judd, of Bloomfield Hills, MI and a cousin, Mary Catherine “Katie” Johnson, of Newburgh, IN as well as several nieces and nephews. Mass of Christian Burial will be Wednesday, January 18th, at 11 am at St. Matthew Catholic Church. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery. Visitation is from 4:00 until 8:00 pm on Tuesday, January 17th at Feeney-Hornak Keystone Mortuary (71st and Keystone). In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions be made to The Little Sisters of the Poor, Shriners Children’s Hospital or St. Matthew Catholic Church (in Memo line “For the benefit of the Dr. Ellen Einterz Project”). The family would like to thank the staff of Kindred Bridgewater and Transitions Hospice for their exceptional care and his legions of friends and family. Your visits and prayers on Joe’s behalf have made the past five months a celebration of his life. We know he is continuing the celebration in heaven. We love and appreciate each of you.