Thomas Laing Sr

Thomas E. Laing, Sr., 66, of Gurnee, passed away on Friday, October 24, 2014 surrounded by his loving family, after an 8 month battle with pancreatic cancer. He was born January 14, 1948 in St. Andrew, Jamaica. He attended both Bull Bay Primary and Trade school in Jamaica. On March 25, 1970, Thomas married the love of his life, Eileen Johnson. In November of 1974, they migrated to U.S.A. Thomas worked as an Auto Body Technician for various dealerships. His last place of employment was Liberty Auto City (Libertyville, IL), where he worked for 19 years. Thomas hosted the Jamaican Independence celebrations for over 30 years and founded the Jamaican Soccer Team, XAYMACA, in Lake County, IL. He received the Leadership Award for Sports for Dedicated Service and Commitment by the Jamaican Consul in 2002.

He leaves to cherish his memory, beloved wife, Eileen Laing; 7 children, Nugent (Hilda) Laing, Angela (Robert) Rutty, Sheryl (Nicholas) Levy, Sonia (Andrew, Sr.) Watson, Leonie (Ozzie, III) Young, Tia (Damion) Miller and Thomas Laing, Jr.; 16 grandchildren, Whitney Williams, Andrea Franklin, Anthony Franklin, Jr., Marcus Wilson, Jr., Lori-Anne Laing, Leeann Young, Christian Young, Alexis Young, Angel Henderson, Keri-Anne Laing, Ozzie Young, IV, Nickole Levy, Elli-Anne Laing, Andrew Watson, Jr., Tiana Miller and Addison Miller; 2 great-grandchildren, Saniya Carasquillo and Leah Coleman; 1 sister, Doris Daley; 2 brothers, Kenneth Laing and David Leonard, and a host of family and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, Neptali Laing and Mildred Grant; 2 sisters, Almira Williams and Pauline Leonard; 3 brothers, Joseph Grant, Eggeton Grant and Albert Laing.

Visitation will be held from 10am-12pm Saturday, November 8, 2014 with a service following from 12pm-2pm at Calvary Harvest Church, 5501 Stearns School Rd., Gurnee, IL. Burial will follow at Warren Cemetery, Gurnee, IL.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the New Testament Church of God Benevolence Fund. Checks should be made payable to New Testament Church of God and sent to 1647 Arlington Lane, Gurnee, IL 60031.

Repast will be held from 3-6pm at the Holiday Inn, 6161 W. Grand Ave., Gurnee, IL.