Charles Patrick McLarney

Charles Patrick “Pat” McLarney passed on to the next world surrounded by the love of friends and family on October 17, 2026 at the age of 84. A born leader, he was a man of exceptional honesty, humility, and integrity, dedicating himself to bettering the communities he lived in, using the law to seek justice and equal representation, campaigning for a nonpartisan court system, and advocating for those without advocates.

A successful lawyer, Pat served as the first managing partner of Shook, Hardy, & Bacon law firm in Kansas City, Missouri for nearly two decades. Under his leadership, the firm grew from 65 lawyers to more than 500 with 11 offices worldwide. He was lead plaintiff’s counsel in the litigation following the Hyatt Regency Hotel skywalk collapse in 1981 and worked to expand the firm’s pro bono efforts. Pat was inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers in 1985 and the International Society of Barristers in 1988. He later served as the firm’s Civic Affairs Partner and continued as a mediator and arbitrator after retirement in 2009.

The Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association honored Pat with its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012. In an article about the award, former Missouri State Senator Jolie Justus described him as “a tireless and wildly successful fundraiser, relentless pro bono lobbyist, and leading champion for Kansas City’s downtown and urban core.”

Pat’s work extended deeply into civic and community life. He campaigned to preserve the Missouri Nonpartisan Court Plan and fought for funding for legal aid organizations, the Missouri public defender system, the judiciary, cancer research, and the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He co-founded the Little Flower Neighborhood Justice Center and its computer resource center, helped raise funds for a breast cancer learning center, established scholarships for minority law students, and spearheaded fundraising campaigns for public transport like the light rail. A breast cancer survivor, he was a charter board member of the Saint Luke’s/Shawnee Mission Breast Cancer Center.

Pat devoted himself to Legal Aid of Western Missouri, co-leading its 1999 Justice For All campaign, growing its annual fundraising, and helping establish an endowment to remain self-sustaining. Legal Aid honored Pat with the H. Michael Coburn Community Service Award in 2001 and the Truman Heartland Community Foundation named him Kansas City Citizen of the Year in 2002.

In addition to these honors, Pat received the Missouri Bar Presidential Award for Outstanding Service (2002), University of Missouri School of Law’s award for Outstanding Alumnus (2002), Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Foundation’s inaugural Liberty and Justice Legacy Award (2003), Missouri Bar Presidential Award for Outstanding Lawyer (2004), Chief Justice’s Award from the Judicial Conference of Missouri (2006), Missouri Bar Presidential Award for Outstanding Service (2006), and Missouri Bar Foundation’s Spurgeon Smithson Award (2009).

Pat was elected president of the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, the Lawyers Association of Kansas City, and the Kansas City Plaza Club. Mayor Kay Barnes appointed him to the Greater Downtown Development Authority. He also served on the boards of The Land Institute, Civic Council of Greater Kansas City, Downtown Council of Kansas City, Journey to New Life, Kansas City Art Institute, Benedictine College, Missouri Bar, and University of Missouri- Kansas City where he chaired the Board of Trustees.

Born on March 28, 1942 in St. Joseph, Missouri, Pat was raised on a farm in Gower, Missouri by his parents Charles Joseph and Owatonna Mary McLarney, alongside two sisters Mary Jo Hallett and Sister Rose McLarney and three brothers James “Jim,” Gerald, and Dan McLarney. Pat began his education in a one-room schoolhouse, later becoming Homecoming king at East Buchanan High School. In high school, he was elected treasurer of the State 4-H Council and won the State 4-H Public Speaking Contest.

Pat graduated from St. Benedict’s (now Benedictine) College in 1964 with a double major in Chemistry and Physics, studied for one semester toward a Biochemistry PhD, and earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Missouri School of Law in 1968. In law school, he served on the board of editors of the Missouri Law Review and graduated as a member of the Order of the Coif. He began his career that same year at Shook, Hardy, & Bacon until retiring in 2009 after over fifty years of advocacy.

Pat was devoted to his family as a loving and present son, brother, husband, father, and grandfather. For more than 61 years, he was happily married to the love of his life Martina “Marti” McLarney his helpmeet always “on a mission.” His legacy lives on in their three children Ellen, Megan, and Michael McLarney; their children’s spouses Bruno Estigarribia, Daniel Lefcourt, and Emily McLarney; and their six grandchildren: Nicolas, Mateo, and Catalina Estigarribia; Nathan Lefcourt, and Ian and Mitchell McLarney. In addition to Marti, their children, and grandchildren, Pat is survived by his sisters Mary Jo Hallett and Sister Rose McLarney and his brother Dan McLarney. He was preceded in death by his parents, Charles Joseph and Owatonna Mary McLarney and by his brother Jim and Gerald McLarney.

Pat’s Catholic faith was central to his life and he lived it out in deeds more than words. He believed that every person carries an inherent dignity and that life is measured by how it serves others, especially the poor, vulnerable, and those with no one to speak for them. He gave his time, talents, and resources selflessly, never seeking credit. He was honest without exception in his work and his life. He welcomed and accepted people as they were, whatever their background, beliefs, or circumstances. For Pat, faith was reserved not just for Sunday, but it was how he practiced law, how he treated the stranger, and how he loved his family.

Dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge and education until the end, he donated his body to the University of Kansas Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. A Memorial Mass will be held at the Church of the Visitation, 5141 Main Street, Kansas City, Missouri, at 10 a.m. on Saturday, October 24. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Journey to New Life (journeytonewlife.org/donate) or Legal Aid of Western Missouri (lawmo.org/donate).