The Rev. Fred W. Tomzik, 59, who served as pastor of St. Louise de Marillac Parish in LaGrange Park from 1997 until 2010, died at Resurrection Hospital in Chicago, on Dec. 12, 2017.
Before retiring for health reasons, Rev. Tomzik was most recently pastor of St. Monica Church in Chicago.
Rev. Tomzik was born on July 3, 1958 in Chicago. He attended Divine Savior School in Norridge, St. Patrick High School in Chicago, Triton College and Niles College. He went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in 1980 at Loyola University in Chicago and a master’s degree in 1984 at the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary.
He was ordained into the priesthood on May 19, 1984 by Joseph Cardinal Bernardin, and celebrated his first Mass at Divine Savior on May 27, 1984.
“I’ll always remember when Fred arrived at Niles College,” said Rev. Kenneth Baker, associate pastor at St. Cletus Parish, who had known Rev. Tomzik since their days in the seminary. “Those of us in theater discovered we had another comrade.
“I will always remember Fred’s great love of train travel and his train travelling vacations all across the country. We have lost a good friend and the Church, a faithful priest, who carried with grace (and occasionally with humor) the cross of illness.”
Rev. Tomzik served the archdiocese in a number of roles. He started as associate pastor at the Nativity of Our Lord Parish on 37th Street in Chicago (1984-89) and at the Divine Infant Jesus Parish in Westchester (1989-96). He became associate pastor of St. Eugene Parish on Foster Avenue in Chicago in 1996, and a year later was named pastor of St. Louise de Marillac Parish. He served as pastor at St. Monica Parish on Foster Avenue in Chicago from 2010-15.
He was also chaplain of the Norwood Park Fire Department and an active member in both the Catholic Committee on Scouting and the Girl Scout Medals Committee.
“Fred was a wonderful parish priest always engaged in the lives of people,” said Rev. Lawrence Lisowski, pastor of Immaculate Conception and St. Joseph Parish in Chicago.
A funeral Mass was celebrated on Dec. 19 at Divine Savior Church in Norridge. Interment was at Maryhill Cemetery in Niles.
Hitzeman Funeral Home, Brookfield, handled arrangements.
