Spencer Leak Jr., vice president of the renowned Leak & Sons Funeral Homes, has died, family confirmed.
Leak was 56.
Spencer Leak Jr. was one of three sons of Spencer Leak Sr., and a grandson of funeral home founder the Rev. A.R. Leak.
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 Geater Grand Crossing community, and in south suburban Country Club Hills and Matteson.
In 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 this past February, Spencer Leak Jr. talked with CBS News Chicago about the passing of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, for who Leak & Sons handled and coordinated funeral services. Leak said he was with the Jackson family in the minutes after the Rev. Jackson passed.
Leak Jr. was the husband of Dr. Donna Leak, and the father of Spencer Leak III and Emma Sophia Leak.
