Thomas Augustine Slymon, age 85, formerly of Warrenville; beloved husband of Nelly (née Perelez) Slymon; loving father of Amira (Shawn) Ballin & Soraya (Eric) Faber; proud grandfather of Robert & Maria Ballin and Thomas, Liam, & Sam Faber; dear brother of Claire (the late Joe) Thornton, the late Veronica Meade, & the late John (Joann) Slymon; uncle to many nieces and nephews & friend to everyone.

Tom was born to Irish immigrant parents in 1935 and spent his childhood causing trouble with his childhood buddies and tormenting his sisters in the Mission Hill neighborhood in Boston. At the ripe age of 13, he started what would become a lifetime of service through his seminarian education. At that time, he was a valuable southpaw asset to the sports teams (baseball, hockey, basketball, handball and tennis), developed a love for acting, and, every once in a while, got some schoolwork done.

Upon his ordination in 1960, he packed his bags and embarked on an adventure to the Caribbean where he served as a Redemptorist priest. His mission was simple: Serve the poorest of the poor and provide comfort, guidance and witness to the needs of the community. Together with his good friend, Father Thomas Travers, they built a training center for the poor farmers in Las Matad de Farfan, Dominican Republic, to lift them out of a life of poverty. He also built a chapel for the underserviced in Fajardo, Puerto Rico and served as pastor at San Augustin in San Juan.

In 1974, he embarked on the next chapter of his life, continuing his mission to serve, but outside of the church. And it was at this time he met the love of his life, a fiery young Puerto Rican redhead named Nelly Perelez. She challenged, supported and cherished him and as a couple they become one with an unbreakable bond.

Shortly after they were married in 1975, they welcomed their first daughter Amira and, 14 months later, came bambina #2, Soraya. Parenthood came naturally to Tom as he supported his daughters’ endeavors in theater, sports, academics and life. He was a softball coach, show choir concession salesman, speech judge, guest lecturer and jubilant audience member. He welcomed their friends and neighbors and the Slymon home was a destination that was filled with love, great Puerto Rican food and meaningful connection.

Tom forged strong and lasting friendships with pretty much everyone he met. He loved seminary reunions to Mt. St Alphonsus and was a founding member of the “Sammys”, a group of former priests that used their love of writing as yet another reason to gather and celebrate. He bonded with his Anam Cara group through St Thomas, and looked forward to their gatherings to talk about religion and politics (all of things you’re not supposed to discuss at the dinner table). He was also a frequent visitor to the Courtyard Banquets, where he could be found enjoying a Manhattan on the rocks with his close friends.

He welcomed his sons in laws, Shawn and Eric, into the family as if they were his own and loved a rousing game of rummy or Scrabble and witnessed some great Chicago sporting events (including a Blackhawks/Bruins Stanley Cup finals game which he often referenced as one of the greatest nights of his life…outside of his wedding and birth of children, of course). They made our family whole as the sons Tom always dreamed of.

And then came grandchildren. Tom took great pride in the title as “Grandpa” and took his duties to Robby, Thomas, Liam, Maria and Sam very seriously. He introduced them to great music, literature, Boston sports teams, chess and being good upright citizens. Summers at Lake Geneva were among his favorite destinations as we enjoyed many rounds of golf, cornhole, Ticket to Ride and karaoke as a family.

His career path continued to draw him towards opportunities to give back. He worked for the Department of Children and Family services in DuPage County, then later moved into hospital administration as President of Community Nursing Services, also serving on the board at Central DuPage Health.

Always a giver, he continued a lifetime of providing to the community through countless hours serving the homeless through PADS Hesed House, providing medical assistance through the Wheaton Community Clinic, helped fundraise for legal services for the underprivileged for the DuPage County Legal Aid Foundation, creating the Parish nursing program in Wheaton and serving as an on-call chaplain at Rush Copley Medical Center.

While we are deeply saddened about his departure, we are comforted in his strong faith and belief that he will always be with us. And will continue to follow the Padre’s example to help one another and his advice to “Hang loose and keep smiling”. He truly was the Greatest.

Memorial Mass at 10am on Thursday, December 17, 2020 at St. Cletus Church, 600 W. 55th Street, LaGrange, IL 60525. All those wishing to attend must register at the following link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D4DA9AB2CA6FECE9-thomas In order to ensure COVID compliance , unregistered guests will not be permitted. Please register by 5pm on Wednesday, December 16. For those unable to attend, you can view the Mass in real time at the following address: https://www.youtube.com/user/stcletusparish

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Tom’s name to Hesed House (hesedhouse.org) are appreciated. Arrangements entrusted to Hallowell & James Funeral Home, Countryside. Information: (708) 352-6500