Chuck Poches Passes

“I learned today that an old friend and mentor had passed away. Chuck had welcomed me into partnership as my clerkship with Judge Robert A Miller was coming to an end, and began the slow process of transforming a law school graduate into a practical private attorney. With the help of Chuck and Marie, our patient and capable secretary, I became a functional component of the legal system for a little over 40 years. Chuck’s warmth, skill and enthusiasm showed me what a private attorney should be. We practiced together for more than 20 years, until his retirement. Those were good years.

Chuck was not your average attorney. He had come from a blue collar family of Lithuanian heritage in Sioux City, working his way through USD School of Law by trapping beaver and toiling in a variety of other jobs. He came to Pierre to work for the state, but after a few years working within the system he set up shop in the St Charles Hotel and set about shaking things up. Some of his early litigation broke the city’s monopoly over drinking establishments. It was an accomplishment that showed his willingness to fight for what he believed in, and he enjoyed reliving that and other David & Goliath victories. He also got into real estate investment early in his career, becoming a developer along with another partner who later moved to the Yankton area. Their investment was lucrative, as Frontier Road on the west bank of the Missouri now features some of the finest homes in the area.

Chuck had a variety of partners over the years. Those were interesting times in the City of Fort Pierre, as the primary economic drivers were construction of Oahe Dam and the plethora of bars that lubricated the wheels of commerce. The mountain time zone boundary was the middle of the river. Although Fort Pierre operated on central time for most other purposes, mountain time was used to determine bar closing. Sensible barflies would simply start at the Spur or the Hopscotch or the Elbow Room, while the lightweights would start in Pierre and then drive across the bridge after last call at the Dungeon or Caucus Room. There was heavy traffic across that bridge in the wee hours of the morning, and a bit of business for the enterprising attorney. Chuck practiced with Ramon Roubideaux and Gerald Reade at one time, and there may have been a few client consultations in the local watering holes. Both those partners eventually relocated to other cities, and arrangements were made for Chuck to partner with Bernie Duffy and Dave Bergren. The parties went their separate ways a day later, whereupon Chuck practiced solo until taking me on in 1979.

I couldn’t have asked for a better partner. Chuck had settled down from earlier days, was raising a family and leading a sober lifestyle. We enjoyed each other’s company, often hunting and fishing together. He continued to trap beaver, fox, coyotes, mink and the occasional skunk, and took me along to run his trapline a time or two. Chuck loved collecting and working on classic cars, and also enjoyed antiques. He had many interests and was always happy to talk about them. He was a true outdoorsman. In recent years I would see him at coffee from time to time. He was using a walking stick, but seemed to be getting around OK. He no longer smoked the big black cigars that had been his trademark for many years. I thought he was doing well for someone in his early 90s. And then he was gone.