John Madison McIlroy 95 of Bowling Green passed away Monday November 24, 2008 at his home.  Funeral services will be held 11:00 AM  Saturday November 29th at the Second Baptist Church in Bowling Green with Rev. Don Amelung officiating.  Interment will be in the Bowling Green Cemetery.  Visitation will be held on Friday November 28th from 4:00 pm until 8:00 pm
at the Mudd-Veach Funeral Home in Bowling Green. Memorials may be made to the Pike County Memorial Hospital Foundation.

He was born January 24, 1913 at home in the Dover community to William Thomas and Bess Duncan McIlroy.  Mr. McIlroy is survived by his wife of 68 years, Ruth Givens McIlroy, sons William Charles McIlroy and wife Nada and John Madison McIlroy, Jr. and wife Paula and daughter Margaret McIlroy Goodin and husband Mark, several grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Mr. McIlroy went to the Norton Road Elementary school in Dover area, graduated from Louisiana High School, and attended Westminster College, the University of Missouri, and Central Methodist College before studying law under Edward V. Long, after which he passed the Missouri Bar examination and became licensed as an attorney at law.  He was a partner in Long and McIlroy law practice from 1945-55 and senior partner of McIlroy and Millan law practice from 1955 until his retirement in 1996.  Prior to practicing law Mr. McIlroy served as Deputy Circuit Clerk and Probation Judge for Pike County, MO.

Mr. McIlroy had a life long interest in politics.  He served as councilman and mayor of the City of Bowling Green, Assistant Attorney General of the State of Missouri, and Honorary Colonel for Governors Smith, Blair, and Dalton.  He was very active in the Democratic Party, serving as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention numerous times, and as Chairman of the State Democratic Party three times during the 1960’s, 1970’s, and 1980’s, and was a senior advisor to United States Senator Edward V. Long.

Mr. McIlroy was a long time member of the Second Baptist Church of Bowling Green and served as a deacon for many years.  He was a member of the Rotary Club in Bowling Green and is a fellow member in the Rotary Paul Harris Foundation.

In 1945 Mr. McIlroy and Senator Long purchased the Bank of Curryville, changed its name to the Community State Bank and moved its banking house to Bowling Green.  Later, Mr. McIlroy purchased Senator Long’s interest in the bank and served as its Chairman and President of the bank until his retirement in 1993 when his sons were elected to those positions.  He has continued to serve as a director to the present date.  Mr. McIlroy and Senator Long also owned the Tower Loan Company for many years.  He owned Pike County Title Company from 1940 until 1996.  He served for many years as a director of Missouri Edison Company, the Bank of Louisiana, and County Tower Corporation, a bank holding company, in Clayton, Missouri.

He was a member of the Fifty Year Club of the Missouri Bar Association and the Missouri Bankers Association.  He was also a former director of the Trimble Foundation, executive board member of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and the Missouri Consumer Finance Association.

One of Mr. McIlroy's great joys was riding horseback and tending to Maple Lane Farm, his family farm, near Dover which has been in the McIlroy family since 1854.

Serving as pallbearers will be Paul Hill, Ross McKinstry, Perry West, Bob Grote, Rex Bradley and Phil Pitney.  Serving as honorary pallbearers will be Vicki Hart, Tapley McCune, Charlene Lawson, Ed Lawson, Bob Conrad, Bob McKee, David Ash, Phillip Schaper and Karl Steinhage.