Thomas William Lawless

He was born on April 3, 1937 in Peoria to the late Leslie and Mary (Rentsch) Lawless. He married Barbara Elaine Jensen on August 8, 1964, and she preceded him in death in 2016.

He was also preceded in death by his son, Jeffrey Lawless, sister-in-law, Carolyn (Dave) Unger, and nephews Mike Eastman and Charlie Stoebner.

Thomas is survived by three children, Steven (Catherine) Lawless of Peoria, David (Sue) Lawless of Chicago, and Debbie (John) Koller of Mahomet, siblings, Leslie (Phyllis) Lawless of Omaha, NE, Mary (Bill) Cross of Indianapolis, IN, Jane (Darell) Eastman of Peoria, Mike (Kay) Lawless of Peoria, and brother-in-law, Alan (Robyn) Jensen of Tucson, AZ. He was lovingly referred to as “Papa” by his grandchildren Jensen, Johnny, Mickey, Tommy, and Stephanie Lawless, Jack, Luke, and Ryan Koller, and Hanna Fisher Lawless. Thomas was also loved by his late son Jeffrey’s fiancé, Amy (Ken Klivickis) Lawless of Glen Ellyn, who stayed close and connected to the family after Jeffrey’s passing. Also surviving are many nieces, nephews, and dear friends.

Thomas graduated from Peoria High School in 1956. He then joined the United States Navy in 1958 and served 4 years on submarines as a First Class Torpedoman. He retired from the Naval Reserves in 1984 with 25 years of service. He was a proud member of the Naval Submarine Retired Servicemen group.

He worked as a pipefitter with UA Steamfitters Local 353. Later in his career he was a Pipe Maintenance Supervisor for Com Ed at Powerton Power Station.

He enjoyed traveling with his wife and family, British sports cars, scuba diving, and snow skiing well into his 80’s. He was a member of Holy Family Church. He attended St Philomena’s church in his later years.

A funeral mass will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, September 17, 2022 at St. Philomena Church. Visitation will be held from 9:15-11:00 AM at the church before mass. Entombment will be at Resurrection Mausoleum.

Memorials may be made to H2O Adaptive Sports in honor of his son Jeffery.

Davison-Fulton-Woolsey-Wilton Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements and condolences may be left at www.Woolsey-Wilton.com.