Lake Forest Obituary: Thomas L. Pfeiffer, 88

Thomas Lyle Pfeiffer of Lake Forest, Illinois died on May 5, 2020, at the age of 88. Tom was born in Detroit Michigan June 29, 1931 to Carlos Pfeiffer and Isabel Wiesen. He was the youngest of five children (Mary, Rita, Jane, and John).

Tom met Marie Jose Sabbe in the University of Detroit choir and married soon after. In April, they celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary. From the moment he saw Marie, he was in love. He frequently told the story of Marie arriving in a red dress at a choir party at his mother’s house. He pointed her out and said, “Ma, I’m going to marry that one.”

Tom started his studies at the seminary at the age of 14 and continued until he was drafted. He served in the military in Germany after World War II, and returned to Detroit, graduating from the university with a Masters degree in Sociology. He started his career in the juvenile court system as a probation officer in Oakland County, Michigan. He moved to Illinois to lead the Arden Shore Home for Boys, where he was the director for nearly 25 years. He then transitioned to serving seniors in a variety of care communities.

He was an active participant in St. Mary’s Parish in Lake Forest. Tom served as the chair of the board of the Parish Council and taught CCD to high schoolers, and was an extraordinary minister to the sick. He was a fixture at 8:00 morning masses.

When Tom bought the land that became the legendary Ten Acres, he dreamed of building a cabin retreat for his family on the shores of Lake Tom, the low spot on the land that became swampy in a rainy year. Many family members helped dig Lake Tom by hand. He had big dreams for the land, and it has been used as a campsite, for dirt bike races, for long hikes, maple syruping, and deer hunting. Though he never built a cabin on the Ten Acres, he found his retreat place nearby along the Eau Claire River.

Tom loved his family, singing, and the outdoors—and was at his best when enjoying all three Up North at the cottage. Surrounded by children, grandchildren, friends of the family, and for many years his mother—he led campfire singalongs that lasted late in to the night. Tom’s tenor voice would shine on “Oh Danny Boy” though after 89 years he never accurately learned more than the first verse. Tom’s voice blended with Marie’s on “Let Me Call You Sweetheart,“ a song they used as a refrain throughout their lives, around the fire, in piano bars, and occasionally in a hospital room.

Tom was the family historian, though again, accuracy was never a strong suit. For years, he led his children to the cemetery where his grandfather Matt Wiesen was buried. Through brambles, broken tombstones, and overgrown plots to search and search to locate his grandfather’s pink granite marker. At some point he would cry, “Eureka! I have found it!”

Years later, his mother brought us to the opposite side of the tiny town, where the family plots actually were.

Accurate or not, Toms’ stories preserved family history, lore, legend, and legacy for the generations to follow. He is a part of all of our stories now.

He is survived by his wife Marie, his children Karl (Margaret) Pfeiffer, Cecilia (Stanley) Smoniewski, Christopher (Sally) Pfeiffer, Cathy (Stuart) Lanyon, Paul (Missy) Pfeiffer; grandchildren: Joey, Matthew, Jason (Alice), Clara (Kleighton), Ellie, Ned, Michael (Whitney), Elizabeth, Angela (Bill), Cecilia (Dominic), Christopher, Isabel, Elowyn, Gabriel; and great-grandchildren: Keays and Nellie.

Private family services were held. Info: Wenban Funeral Home (847) 234-0022 or www.wenbanfh.com