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A funeral service for longtime defense attorney Stan Simrin will be held Thursday at Temple Beth El. Simrin died Tuesday two months after suffering a crippling stroke. The service will begin at 11 a.m. followed by internment at Greenlawn Cemetery around 12:30 p.m, according to Rabbi Cheryl Rosenstein. Simrin was a Bakersfield institution and one of the area's most highly regarded criminal defense attorneys. He will be remembered for his spirited defenses in some of the country's biggest cases, but those who knew him will miss his keen mind and his golden tongue. He was a devoted member of Temple Beth-El where he taught weekly classes in the Torah. He once told Steve Swenson, a reporter at The Californian who knew Stan for years, that he had devoted his life to Judaism. "I want to know more about it, study it, live it," he said. I was fortunate enough to hear Stan speak from time to time. He was an inspiring presence and he will be missed. I'll post more updates as they become available.