Geneva attorney Joe Rago dies

GENEVA – As an assistant state's attorney, Joseph Rago was fearless and aggressive in prosecuting felonies.

Proud of his Italian heritage, he founded a chapter of the Justinian Society of Lawyers in Kane County.

A devoted family man, he coached his son's soccer team and cooked Italian food from recipes he learned from his mother.

Rago, 49, died Friday at his Geneva home after a six-month battle with pancreatic cancer, his family by his side.

Ironically, the night before, Rago was to attend a party to celebrate his life, but he was too sick, said longtime friend Mark Wissing, the Geneva Township Highway Commissioner.

"Everybody was there," Wissing said. "Scores of people were at the Old Towne Pub in Geneva. Joe was a compassionate man, a kind man, a well-respected attorney. I don't think there was anything he wouldn't do to try to help. Joe was just a kind man."

Wissing said he and Rago served together in the Geneva Republican party. A Republican precinct committeeman, Rago wanted to run for office again, even though he was ill, Wissing said.

"Joe was a very dedicated guy," Wissing said. "Whatever he decided to do, Joe did it. I filled out his paperwork. Neighbors came over and signed his petitions. He met me at the door two Sundays ago and I turned it in for him."

His wife, Nanci Rago, said her husband had a strong will to survive.

"He wanted to do all he could," Nanci Rago said. "And with pancreatic cancer, you don't have a lot of options. People don't usually live long with it. We took vacations and went to Italy with his brother in September to see family."

Rago's sister, Mary Newbold of Chicago, said her brother was chief of the narcotics prosecution unit in Kane County.

"Under his leadership, his office compiled an unprecedented record of increasing felony convictions and jury trial convictions and decreasing the office's office budget," Newbold said.

Kane County State's Attorney John Barsanti said he was Rago's supervisor then in the 1990s.

"He was very very aggressive and fearless," Barsanti said. "Then he went to be first assistant in DeKalb County."

Rago eventually began his own law practice in 1997, but he still made time to volunteer at his alma mater, Broadview Academy in LaFox, a Seventh-Day Adventist High School. Rago graduated from the school in 1978. Newbold said he taught law classes to children at the school.

William Barclay, a former Geneva alderman served with Rago on the Geneva Mental Health Board for about six years. The board awards grants to non-profit agencies that aid the community.

"He was a great guy and one of the biggest assets on that board in 20 years," Barclay said. "He was a good man, a hard worker, a good father and an asset to the community."

Rago is also survived by three children, three brothers and extended family. Visitation will be from 3 to 9 p.m. Monday, Nov. 16, at Malone Funeral Home, 324 E. State St., Geneva. Funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17 also at Malone.