Chicago funeral home director Spencer Leak Jr. dies at 56, family says

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Spencer Leak Jr., the vice president of Leak & Sons Funeral Homes, has died, his family said Sunday. He was 56 years old.

Those who knew Spencer and his family knew them not just for their family business but for their community presence and the generations of service, which Spencer carried on throughout his life.

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The Leak family remembers Spencer as a "devoted husband, father, son and brother."

The family, in a statement, said he helped lead the Leak and Son's Funeral Home business for 45 years, upholding the family's legacy that started the business "that every family, regardless of means, deserves to lay their loved ones to rest with dignity."

Spencer later became the vice president of his family business.

The family has deep ties to Chicago's Civil Rights Movement. Spencer's grandfather led the march to desegregate Chicago's Oakwood Cemetery.

Spencer recently led and planned the funeral of Rev. Jesse Jackson Jr.

Chicago Ald. William Hall met Spencer when he was a teenager and called him a true "son of Chicago."

"There will never be another Spencer Leak Jr. but what there will be is a lineage of people where he made their lives better. He never turned away someone who was hurt. He never turned away someone that needed an extra helping hand," Hall said.

The Leak family added that Spencer was "a tireless advocate for families who could not afford a burial, a champion of Chicago businesses, and a generous mentor to entrepreneurs across our city."

The Leak family says they are grateful for the outpouring of love and support and asked for continued prayers and they grieve and prepare to celebrate his life.

The details of his funeral service have yet to be released.

Full statement from Leak family

"It is with profound sadness that we share the sudden passing of our beloved Spencer Leak, Jr. Spencer was a devoted husband, father, son, brother, and a steadfast leader whose presence and wisdom deeply shaped our family and our community.

For more than 45 years, Spencer helped lead Leak and Sons Funeral Home - the business founded by his family generations ago and carried forward with his father, Spencer Leak, Sr., and his mother, Henrietta. Alongside his brothers, Stacy and Stephen, he upheld a legacy now spanning three generations and rooted in a simple promise: that every family, regardless of means, deserves to lay their loved ones to rest with dignity. 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.

Above all, Spencer was a family man. He leaves his wife of nearly 25 years, Donna; their son, Spencer Leak III and their daughter, Emma.. His passion, strength, and love for his family were the truest measure of the man.

We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of love, prayers, and support we have received, which bring us great comfort during this tremendously difficult time. We will share service details in the coming days. We ask for your continued prayers and patience as we grieve and prepare to celebrate his remarkable life."