Richard H. Friedman, 56, U.S., lawyer, drowning, Dec. 30

Richard H. Friedman, 56, an attorney active in the Jewish community of Albany, N.Y., died in a swimming accident while on vacation with his family in Puerto Rico, Dec. 30, 2007.

Friedman was a member of the board of Albany’s Temple Israel, a Conservative synagogue, president of its Men’s Club, and former president of Albany’s Jewish day school, Bet Shraga Hebrew Academy.

(In My Heart Editor’s Note: I once lived in Albany, and knew Friedman by sight, as well as all the individuals quoted in this story. My condolences to his family, friends and the extended Albany, New York, Jewish community, a tight-knit group. I invite anyone from Albany who knew Friedman to write a comment to this article or to send us an email, which we will post in Friedman’s honor.)

Samuel Steinfeld, 101, U.S., lawyer, state chief justice, Nov. 22

Samuel Steinfeld, 101, a former chief justice of Kentucky’s highest court, died Nov. 22, 2007.

“My dad was dedicated to anything that he went into,” whether it was the law, politics, civic leadership or his family, his son, James Steinfeld, told the Louisville Courier-Journal. “He loved the law, I can tell you that.”

Steinfeld was elected to the Kentucky Court of Appeals, then Kentucky’s highest court, in 1966.