Spencer Leak Jr., vice president of Chicago's Leak & Sons Funeral Homes, dies at 56
Spencer Leak Jr., vice president of the renowned Leak & Sons Funeral Homes, died Sunday, family confirmed.
Leak was 56.
Spencer Leak Jr. was one of three sons of Leak & Sons owner and president Spencer Leak Sr., and a grandson of funeral home founder the Rev. A.R. Leak. Leak & Sons Funeral Homes is a Black-owned family business with roots dating back more than 90 years.
A.R. Leak had a vision of opening a funeral business in 1933, realizing that Black people could not afford to bury their loved ones in a respectable fashion, Spencer Leak Jr. wrote on the funeral home website.
Leak Jr. noted that the Leak & Sons was known for its involvement in the Civil Rights movement, with his grandfather having provided limousine service to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Chicago, and leading a march to desegregate Chicago's Oak Woods Cemetery.
Leak & Sons Funeral Homes has locations at 7838 S. Cottage Grove Ave. in Chicago's Greater Grand Crossing community, and in south suburban Country Club Hills and Matteson.
Leak & Sons has provided home-going services to the well-known, from Sam Cooke to Bernie Mac. Most recently, Leak Jr. himself drove the remains of the Rev. Jesse Jackson from Chicago to South Carolina.
In a 2024 resolution honoring Spencer Leak Jr.'s 55th birthday, the Illinois House of Representatives noted that Leak Jr. had worked in his family's funeral home since he was a young boy. Leak Jr. earned a Bachelor of Science in mortuary science and funeral service from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, and became a licensed funeral director in 1989, the resolution said.
The state House credited Leak Jr. with advances in technology and operational efficiency at his funeral home, while managing more than 3,000 funerals in the Chicago area each year.
The resolution also noted that Leak Jr. was "known for his generosity of spirit and consistently gives back to his community in a variety of ways." Notably, Leak Jr. was a member of 100 Black Men, serving as a mentor to young Black males, the resolution said.
"Just a very warm, sensitive person that made sure that those that were in need were given the comfort that they're supposed to have," the Rev. Paul Jakes, chaplain at the Leak & Sons Funeral Home and a candidate for mayor of Chicago back in 2003, said of Leak Jr.
Just this past February, Spencer Leak Jr. talked with CBS News Chicago about the passing of the Rev. Jackson. Leak said he was with the Jackson family in the minutes after the Rev. Jackson passed.
Former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. said he rushed to the hospital in Olympia Fields, Illinois, upon getting word of Leak Jr.'s passing. Jackson expressed gratitude to Leak Jr. for taking the Rev. Jackson's remains across the country so people could pay their respects, and then flying the Rev. Jackson's remains home.
"Thank you for years of dedicated service, thank you for your care. Thank you for your concern. Thank you for your support. Thank you for everything," Jackson Jr. wrote.
Rainbow PUSH Coalition chief executive officer Yusef Jackson also sent a statement, reading in part: "Barely three months ago, Spencer was helping lead my father's homegoing services. Spencer never had to be asked. He volunteered. He showed up. And he never left my father's side."
Ald. William Hall (6th) emphasized how Leak Jr.'s selfless values benefited many.
"He walked heavy with generosity, compassion and empathy, and now that he's gone, his lineage of work will always last," Hall said, "and he has given us enough examples of what it means to be compassionate, empathetic, but moreover a man of true service. Our ward is a beneficiary of that."
Hall said the Leak family could have left years ago when Cottage Grove Avenue in the Greater Grand Crossing area was at a crossroads, but Spencer Leak Jr. and the family decided to stay. The alderman added that examples of Leak Jr.'s generosity go well beyond his work at the funeral home.
"Right down the street from the funeral home, Southside Market, a new co-op, had just opened up. The government had shut down. There was no SNAP benefits available. And Spencer saw the grand opening, but he saw the tragedy of the government shutdown," Hall said. "He wrote a check for $5,000 to ensure that this co-op would not miss a beat from revenue. And his gift of $5,000 inspired someone else to give $5,000. So a combined $10,000 came from his generosity to the Southside co-op, right there at 79th and Rhodes."
Leak Jr. also drove former Mayor Lori Lightfoot from City Hall on her last day in office.
"Really shock and profound sadness is what I am feeling," Lightfoot said Sunday night. "This is a really, really great family, from Spencer Sr. on down. This is just a stunning and profound loss."
On Sunday, with so much on its plate as the Spring Session came to an end, the Illinois Senate stopped to pay tribute to Leak.
In a statement, the Leak family said in part of Spencer Jr.: "He was a tireless advocate for families who could not afford a burial, a champion of Chicago's businesses, and a generous mentor to entrepreneurs across our city. Most recently, he was honored to help guide the family's care for the late Rev. Jesse L. Jackson — an honor rooted in a bond that, like so much of his life's work, was built on decades of service and trust."
Leak Jr. is survived by his wife, Dr. Donna Leak; son, Spencer Leak III; and daughter, Emma Sophia Leak
