In Memoriam: Tom Lavin
Dr. Thomas Patrick Lavin, 82, of Wilmette, Illinois, passed away on June 3, 2024, at home with his best friend and partner of 55 years, Dr. Mary Ellen O’Hare Lavin at his side.
Tom was challenged by numerous health issues over the past decade, facing them with grace, grit, warmth and Irish humor. A devoted husband, father and grandfather, Tom’s twinkling eyes, quick smile, adventurous spirit and love of life will leave a void in the lives of his loving family, his dear friends and those he served in his decades in the practice of analytical psychology.
He is survived by his devoted wife Mary Ellen, son Thomas Lavin (JoLynn) of Saint Anthony, MN; daughter Erin Lavin Cabonargi (Michael) of Wilmette, IL; son Brian Lavin (Megan) of Melrose, MA and grandchildren Thomas, William, Oliver, Jack, Maeve, Cormac and Josephine.
Tom was born on October 7, 1941, on the south side of Chicago. He is preceded in death by his parents John Lavin and Josephine Whalen Lavin, and his brother William Lavin.
After graduating from Quigley Preparatory Seminary in Chicago, he attended Saint Mary of the Lake Archdiocesan Seminary in Mundelein, IL. He then completed his diploma at the Jung Institute in Zurich, Switzerland and his doctorate at the University of Innsbruck, Austria. Tom became a clinical psychologist, educator, administrator and counselor. Tom served as a Captain in the Medical Service Corps of the US Army, Professor and Dean of the School of Psychology at the University of Maryland, Munich Germany campus, and as a clinical psychologist and Jungian psychoanalyst to many in his decades of private practice in Wilmette, Illinois.
Tom lived his life caring for and in the service of others. He set up numerous drug and alcohol treatment centers throughout Europe for the United States Army. He trained other psychotherapists in the specialized treatment of mental health and substance abuse disorders to benefit active duty and veterans of the US Army. Upon returning with his family to the United States in 1977, he served as a psychotherapist to military personnel at Fort Sheridan in Highwood, Illinois. He left the service in the US Army in order to build a private practice in clinical psychology in Wilmette, Illinois where he served hundreds of people in their pursuit of mental health, inner peace and the Divine, individually and as a greater collective. He also lectured at Jungian symposia throughout the world.
This obituary originally appeared on Kolbus-May Funeral Home