At his request, no memorial service for Dwyer

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No memorial service is planned for U.S. District Judge William L. Dwyer, who died Tuesday at age 72.

Judge Dwyer insisted no service be held because he believed that enough attention had been paid to him during his life, his wife, Vasiliki Dwyer, said yesterday.

Judge Dwyer died peacefully at his Seattle home with his family around him, content that he had lived a rewarding life, she said. He died of complications of lung cancer.

Even in his last days, he was quick with "quips and humor," his wife said.

Although there will be no formal service, Judge Dwyer will be honored next week by the Legal Foundation of Washington.

The foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides legal services to the poor, chose Judge Dwyer before his death as the 2002 recipient of the Goldmark Award to recognize his "exceptional leadership and tireless efforts throughout his life to expand access to our justice system for society's poorest and most vulnerable people."

The award honors the memory of Charles A. Goldmark, a Seattle attorney who was slain in 1986 along with his wife and two children. Judge Dwyer was a close friend of the family.

Vasiliki Dwyer said she and members of her family would accept the award, along with members of the Goldmark family. The award is to be presented at a luncheon next Thursday.

Judge Dwyer served for 15 years on the federal bench after 37 years as a private attorney. He handled some of the most significant legal cases in the history of the Northwest.

His 1991 decision ordering the U.S. Forest Service to adopt a conservation plan to ensure the survival of the northern spotted owl protected vast tracts of land in the Western United States. His work as a lawyer helped bring the Seattle Mariners baseball team to the city in 1977.

Steve Miletich can be reached at 206-464-3302 or smiletich@seattletimes.com.