The Rev. Thom Ford, a former pastor at the Church of the Open Door who often served as a sign-language interpreter at events, passed away June 30 of a heart attack.
One of Ford's brothers, Darryl, told Windy City Times that Thom 'was a caring and giving person. He would help anybody when he was able to.' Darryl added that his late brother 'was in pretty good spirits and, at the time, everything seemed to be going well. He was doing some landscaping and he was satisfied with the way his garden was going; he was very much at peace [ with himself ] .
'Right now, I'm happier that he's in a happier place and that he didn't suffer. Now, he's moved on.'
