Thomas Joseph Leuer, 80, passed away Thursday, February 18, 2021, at Rush Copley Medical Center.


He is survived by his loving wife, Marilyn (Wehler); six children, Michael, Jim (Lisa), Mark (Katrin), John (Denise), Paul (Gina) and Ann (Adan); fourteen grandchildren, Emma, Matthew, Sara, Jack, Nicholas, Kailey, Felix, Scarlett, Josh, Luke, JT, Jacob, Griffin and Andrew; his brother, Joe (Toni) and numerous nieces and nephews.


Tom was preceded in death by his infant son Brian (1970), his parents, Peter (1987) and Kathryn (Lyness - 1982); and four brothers, John "Edward" (2013), Howard (2020), Fr. Mark (1992), and David (2003).


Tom was born into a large, loving farming family. He attended Marmion Academy High School and proudly played on the undefeated 1957 Cadet football team. After college, Tom held several jobs he loved to tell stories about, including quarry crane operator and ice cream delivery driver before finding his lifework in the school photography business. Tom took ownership of the business in the early 1990's. He often spoke enthusiastically of the people he worked alongside, building lifelong friendships with many of them. His love of the business and of the colleagues and friends he worked with kept him working until his recent 2019 retirement.


Tom's other passions included Marmion Academy, boating, and his family. He has been a longtime supporter of Marmion, holding roles with the Alumni Association and Board of Trustees for decades. In the late 2000's, Tom proudly established the Thomas J and Marilyn Leuer Family Scholarship to help others benefit from the Marmion experience. A third generation of Leuers are now graduating from Marmion.


Boating has been a big part of Tom's leisure since the early 80's. First sailing off the beaches of St Petersburg, Florida with his kids, then moving into powerboating on the Illinois waterways and in Florida, teaching his kids to enjoy water skiing, tubing and leisurely rides. Since the mid 90's, Tom has kept a boat on Lake Michigan where he enjoyed entertaining on warm summer days and evenings. There were no better ways that Tom would rather spend his weekends than with his family floating under the sun on the lake.


Tom was truly devoted to his family. He met the love of his life, Marilyn, and married in 1962. Together they raised a tight, loving family. Even with six children, he always found time for all of them...always interested and always attentive. As a family, they had many great adventures together, and continued to gather weekly as they grew up and moved out. Tom loved family gatherings. They were crowded, they were loud, they were fun, and he loved every minute.


Visitation will be from 3 to 7 p.m., Wednesday, February 24, at The Daleiden Mortuary, 220 N Lake Street, Aurora, IL 60506. Due to Covid-19 pandemic protocols, visitors are asked to pay their respects to the family for only a few minutes and exit the funeral home in a timely fashion. Social distancing and face masks are required for those in attendance.


A funeral mass to celebrate his faith will be at 10:00 AM Thursday, February 25, at Holy Angels Catholic Church (180 S Russell Ave, Aurora, IL 60506) with interment at Marmion following. Upon entry to the church for the funeral mass, attendees are asked to sign in with your name and contact information for contract tracing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In lieu of flowers, Memorial contributions may be made to Marmion Academy, ? Thomas J and Marilyn Leuer Family Scholarship Fund, 1000 Butterfield Rd, Aurora, IL 60502.