Friends and family will say their final goodbyes Friday to former Hamilton County prosecutor, judge and sheriff Simon Leis.
A funeral procession will depart from B.J. Meyer Sons Funeral Home on Bridgetown Road at 9 a.m., making its way to the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Peter in Chains. Visitation begins at 10 a.m. at the cathedral and funeral services will begin at 12:30 p.m.
Leis's family said in a statement on June 27 that he died after a four-year cancer battle.
"Simon dedicated his life to public service, the people of our community and the Catholic faith," the statement read. "But we knew him as a devoted family man, husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, relative and friend whose love for his family and friends remained constant throughout his life."
WATCH: Simon Leis's family remembers him as being 'larger than life:'
Leis started his career in the Marines, where he said he would have stayed if not for his family. In 1971, he accepted an appointment as Hamilton County prosecutor after Melvin G. Rueger resigned to become a judge. Leis then became a Court of Common Pleas judge before serving as Hamilton County sheriff, a role he held for 25 years until his retirement.
Leis was diagnosed with stage four cancer four years ago. His daughter, Julie Raleigh, said her father faced the illness the same way he faced everything else: without backing down.
"Dad was larger than life. He was a fighter. He was a bad ass bulldog we called him. He never gave up," she said. "You know, when he got the diagnosis of cancer, he said, 'I'm going to fight to the end.' His oncologist kept saying, 'Are you sure?' And he said, 'Nope, Marines fight 'til the end. He said, I'm going to fight and he did. He fought for every last breath."
Memorial donations can be made to Madi's House, a nonprofit that Julie Raleigh co-founded with her husband, WCPO 9 Chief Meteorologist Steve Raleigh.
The funeral service will stream live on WCPO.com and the WCPO 9 app starting at 12:30 p.m.
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