Updated

Updated · The Washington Post · Jun 20

Chicago Funeral Director Spencer Leak Jr. Dies at 56 After Serving Generations of Families

Updated

Updated · The Washington Post · Jun 20

Chicago Funeral Director Spencer Leak Jr. Dies at 56 After Serving Generations of Families

Q: He buried civil rights heroes and notorious kingpins. What was the philosophy behind this unique service?

The philosophy was simple: every person and every family deserved dignity, compassion and a respectful burial, no matter the deceased’s reputation, status or ability to pay. That approach came from the Leak family’s mission dating to 1933, when the funeral home was founded to ensure Black Chicagoans could bury loved ones properly in an era when racism and segregation often denied them equal treatment. Spencer Leak Jr. carried that tradition forward by treating funeral service as both a profession and a ministry to the community. People close to him said he did not distinguish between “pedigree” and circumstance. Whether the family was mourning a civil rights icon such as Rev. Jesse Jackson, a celebrity, a homicide victim, a police officer or a notorious figure like William “Flukey” Stokes, Leak’s role was to comfort the living and provide the dead with a dignified farewell. Jesse Jackson Jr. described that as unique compassion: caring for people regardless of where they came from or what they could afford. That philosophy also showed in practice. Leak was known for not turning families away, including those who struggled to pay funeral costs. In that sense, his work was not about endorsing a life story but about meeting grief with professionalism, respect and service. For Leak & Sons, the guiding belief was that death equalizes people, and the community is best served when every family is allowed to mourn with dignity.

3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Jun 20

Spencer Leak Jr., who ran his family’s Chicago funeral home and became a fixture in the city’s civic life, died in May at 56.
At Leak & Sons Funeral Homes, he handled high-profile services including those for the Rev. Jesse Jackson and also helped families who could not afford funerals.
His work made him a community pillar in Chicago, where he was known for giving grieving families dignity while carrying on a multigenerational family business.