Charles L. Kincade

1960 - 2014

Charles L. Kincade

Charles L. Kincade, a prominent northeast Louisiana attorney, died recently while vacationing in Europe. Charles was born August 24, 1960 in Monroe, Louisiana and died October 18, 2014 in Nuremburg, Germany from complications of a sudden heart attack. Visitation will be at The West Monroe Convention Center (901 Ridge Ave. West Monroe, LA.) on Thursday, Oct. 30th from 5:00 - 8:00 pm. A private family burial will be held on Saturday, Nov. 1st at the Mount Pleasant Methodist Church Cemetery in Jackson Parish.

Charles' education included a Bachelor of Science degree in physics with 30 additional graduate hours from Northeast Louisiana University (now ULM). He received a Juris Doctor degree with high honors from the Memphis State University School of Law where he served on the law review.

A physicist first, Charles turned his analytical skills to the practice of law so that he could defend those whom no one else would help.

Charles' legal career spanned almost a quarter-century. Not only did he maintain a thriving private practice, but he also worked diligently as an indigent defender. Charles felt that every individual regardless of race, color, or socio-economic background deserved the best representation possible. He took on many controversial cases throughout his career because he wanted to ensure due process for everyone, and he knew that true justice demands it.

Charles was willing to brave the disapproval of his peers, to suffer the wrath of the community, to face threats on his life, and to endure vandalism of personal property to seek justice for his clients. This kind of moral courage is rare.

Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he is sending forth a tiny ripple of hope. Eventually, those ripples will build a currant that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and injustice.

The future does not belong to those who are content with today, apathetic toward common problems and their fellow man alike, timid and fearful in the face of new ideas and bold projects. Rather it will belong to people like Charles who could blend vision, reason, and courage into a personal commitment that would set forth actions to improve the world for all human beings, not just a privileged few.

A very well respected member of the legal community, Charles belonged to the Louisiana Bar Association and the Louisiana State Bar House of Delegates. He also served on the ACLU Board of Directors, the Legal Aid Board of Directors, and the local Indigent Defender Board of Directors. He was voted one of the top 100 Louisiana criminal defense attorneys in 2013.

Charles had many other interests outside of the law. He was an avid sports fan who loved and rooted for the Minnesota Vikings and the LSU Tigers. He enjoyed all types of music with his favorite singer being Johnny Cash and his favorite group being The Beatles. Charles was extremely well read and could quote passages from many sources on a variety of different topics. He was a wonderful public speaker who welcomed the opportunity to address students and civic organizations about the law and public affairs.

Charles enjoyed meeting people from all walks of life and always had a warm smile and kind words for all he met. His many friends also appreciated his wonderful sense of humor which was often on display.

Charles loved politics. He stayed well informed and up to date on local, state, and national political issues. Charles was a liberal Democrat, and proud of it. He enjoyed friendly debates with conservative opponents. Many in northeast Louisiana did not agree with Charles' political views, but they admired and respected him for having the courage to argue clearly and forcefully for what he believed. Charles understood well that the U.S. Constitution's guarantee of freedom of speech has no meaning unless opposing views are readily expressed.

While an undergraduate, Charles helped form the Young Democrats organization at NLU in the early 1980's. He worked tirelessly for the Democratic Party in Louisiana, and was a two-time delegate to the Democratic National Convention.

Charles championed not only human rights, but also animal rights. He was the proud guardian of two rescue dogs. He spent countless hours helping local animal protection groups find homes for abused and neglected pets. He was also one of the first volunteers to help with the River Cities Humane Society for Cats when that group organized in 1989.

Charles was preceded in death by his beloved mother, Lora Kincade; his father-in-law, Allen Pinckard; and uncles, Buddy Steinbeck, James Kincade, Jim Stewart and Johnny Jones. He is survived by the love of his life, wife Mary Pinckard Kincade; his father, Robert Kincade; his sister, Shelley Kincade McCullin and her husband, Cregg; his mother-in-law, Pat Pinckard; his sister-in-law, Linda Ducote (Mike); his brother-in-law, Darryl Pinckard (Diane); niece, Sara Pinckard Kauffman (Eric); nephew, Daniel Ducote (Brandi); aunts, Ramona Kincade Steinbeck, Janet Kincade, and Mary Lou Liberty(Joe); uncle, Lynn Stewart (Sharon); close cousins, John Steinbeck and Marcy Steinbeck Chesney; and beloved dogs, Rudy and Mizmo.

Charles need not be idealized or enlarged in death beyond what he was in life. He was simply a good and decent man who saw wrong and tried to right it, who saw suffering and tried to heal it, and who saw injustice and tried to stop it. The community should be proud that Charles used his compassion, his intellect, and his knowledge of the law to give a voice to the voiceless and hope to the hopeless.

The family of Charles Kincade would like to express its gratitude to the northeast Louisiana community for its outpouring of love and support during this extremely difficult time. It is the family's wish that in lieu of flowers, donations in Charles' memory be made to the River Cities Humane Society for Cats (5302 Desiard St. Monroe, LA 71203), the ASPCA (aspca.org), the American Heart Association (Heart.org), or the charity of your choice.

Love is not an easy feeling to put into words. Nor is loyalty, or trust, or joy. But Charles was all of these things. He loved life completely and he lived it intensely.

Precious Charles…your life was a blessing, your memory a treasure, you are loved beyond words, and will be missed beyond measure. Rest in Peace.

Online Guestbook: www.griffinfuneralhome.net

Griffin Funeral Home

West Monroe, Louisiana