Thomas Layman

Thomas Charles Layman, 79, of Champaign died on Tuesday, January 6, 2026 at Carle Foundation Hospital, Urbana.

There will be a visitation on Monday, January 12, from 5-7 pm at Owens Funeral Home, 101 N Elm St, Champaign. Funeral Mass will be on Tuesday, January 13 at 10am at Holy Cross Catholic Church, 403 W. Clark, Champaign. Burial will immediately follow at St. Mary’s Cemetery, Champaign. Friends may also greet the family at a luncheon following the burial.

Tom was born on September 13, 1946 in Chicago, a son of Stanley ‘Charlie’ Layman and Victoria Fornek Layman. He married Peggy Holmes at Allerton Park in Monticello on May 31, 1987.

Survivors include his wife, Peggy; 2 children, Benjamin (HeatherAnn)  and Angela, all of Champaign; his 2 precious grandchildren, whom he loved fiercely, Clark and Alice; 1 brother, Marty (Jule Dee Scarborough) Layman of Manteo, NC; 2 sisters, Rita (Marc) Gimbel of Downer’s Grove, Suzanne (Don) Kronenberg of Oak Forest; his niece, Zoe Kronenberg of Chicago and his cousin, Pete Sober of DeKalb.

Tom attained 2 Master’s degrees, in Math and in Computer Science but found his joy when he spent time in nature. He was a lifelong photographer of nature and a lover of astronomy. He was also passionate about supporting local farmers. You could find him every Saturday at the Farmer’s Market. Tom was the Chair of the Board and Air Shifter during the early days of WEFT radio and he lived for music. He was also a fantastic cook, the family will miss his famous salsa.

In a final act of selflessness, Tom chose to give the gift of life as an organ and tissue donor where he will impact countless lives.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to be made to the Champaign County Forest Preserve District due to Tom’s love of hiking and nature.

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