By the time he died last week, Jack Thomas had become a fixture in Libertyville, a presence who, for years, could predictably be found at several spots along his north-end turf.
Outside the Walgreens or behind a restaurant, Thomas was homeless but never without a place to be or a helping hand — not that he would accept more than he needed. And if you never saw him walking or riding his bike along the main drag in town, you likely have not been to Libertyville.
Those who knew him remember a smiling kid who introduced them to “Star Wars” back in the day, who loved cars and music and, more recently, as an honorable man who returned a wad of cash a fellow homeless person had dropped.
On Wednesday evening, the stories spanned nearly the length of Thomas’ 48 years, as childhood friends, classmates, co-workers and even strangers who felt an obligation to honor his memory filled the viewing room, stood in the back and crowded into an adjoining space for his service at Burnett Dane Funeral Home, not far from Libertyville High School, where he graduated in 1986.
Those who knew him then also knew he was different after a sojourn to California in the late 1990s, a mysterious change that has never been explained.
Nonetheless, sparked by members of the Class of 1986, word of Thomas’ passing spread exponentially through social media as a close-knit community quickly coalesced in a remarkable showing of compassion.
“He was one of us. You know?” said Peter Keefe, who grew up in Libertyville and knew Thomas for 44 years. Keefe came from San Antonio, Texas, to say goodbye.
An adopted only child estranged from his parents the past 20 years, Thomas’ disposition was in doubt until friends answered the call to provide a proper service and burial for their sometimes erratic but lovable pal.
“I didn’t want him in a box somewhere, unmarked,” said Joe Sweeney, a lifelong resident and former classmate. Sweeney reined in the online onslaught of questions and coordinated arrangements with several others who wanted to do whatever was necessary to say goodbye in a dignified way.
As of Wednesday morning, 197 people had donated $14,325 on a GoFundMe page.
They dug up old photos and posted them throughout the room. There was a young Thomas stretched out on the hood of his 1974 gold Olds Omega, or playing guitar, or in a parking lot with friends at the local hangout. They also came to remember the good old days and tell stories.
Sweeney said Thomas treated others with respect and was not considered to be a nuisance by authorities. He recalled one time when a police car pulled up.
“An unidentified officer handed him a bomber jacket,” Sweeney said. “He (Thomas) wore it like a peacock — he strutted around.”
For the past 13 years, Thomas lived in a passage between Mark Santini’s Wholesale Carpet Designs and Bauer’s catering next door. Santini recalled moving in and meeting Thomas.
“Birds in apartment 1B,” Thomas said, pointing to a nest on an electric meter. “I’m in apartment 1A,” Santini recalled him saying.
Derek Hall, who lived in downtown Libertyville, used to let Thomas hang out in his car when it was cold while he worked in a nearby coffee shop.
“I found out a week later he was in the parking lot doing doughnuts,” said Hall. “I could never get mad at him. I’m glad he got to do something fun like that before he died.”
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