Louis Diamond

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Louis, who was fond of cats and hats, was known for his amazing outfits and colorful sense of style.

Louis Diamond, 73, of Chicago, died Aug. 2 in the Endeavor Swedish Hospital ICU with his loving wife, Sonya, by his side.

Louis, who was fond of cats and hats, was known for his amazing outfits and colorful sense of style. He loved New Orleans – its people, culture, history, food and music – and he was an active member of the Mystick Krewe of Laff in Chicago. He liked to cook and play the ukulele and he amassed an impressive collection of books, LPs and CDs. If a customer service worker was helpful, Louis would ask for their manager to say the worker deserved a raise.

Much to the surprise of his friends (and himself), Louis found lasting love through the Chicago Reader Matches dating site and was married at age 58. He was delighted that, besides his wife, Sonya, he gained two daughters without the hard work of raising them.

Louis never lost his curiosity and fun-loving spirit. He had many adventures over his lifetime, making and keeping good friends along the way.

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Louis never lost his curiosity and fun-loving spirit.

Once when hitchhiking home, he got a ride with Muhammad Ali. He unknowingly accompanied Abbie Hoffman on a shoplifting trip. As a freshman at Southern Illinois University, his anti-war activism earned him a night in jail and an FBI file. He read his work at poetry slams and once dressed as a bee to sing with a rock band in an art installation at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.

After high school, Louis was a copy clerk for the Chicago Daily News and Chicago Sun-Times, working for Mike Royko, Irv Kupcinet and other famed journalists. He left to travel Europe on the cheap, where he ran with the bulls in Pamplona and slept on park benches.

Louis was part of the early Chicago improv comedy scene, managing classes for the legendary Del Close. His career as a scriptwriter didn’t pan out but he did appear as an extra in “The Blues Brothers” and “Continental Divide.”

He was a jester at the Bristol Renaissance Faire, made cold calls for the Diner’s Club and worked in a lab making formula for sick infants at Children’s Memorial Hospital.

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He would like you to listen to live music whenever possible, and always tip the band generously.

Eventually, Louis turned his career to mental health, alcohol and substance abuse counseling. He received a master’s in social work at UIC, taking classes at night while working during the day, and earned certification as a licensed clinical social worker.

After jobs at a community clinic, hospital and nursing home, he found his calling as a crisis worker in the ER at St. Francis Hospital, Evanston. He remained at this always stressful, sometimes rewarding job for 15 years. By persistence and persuasion, phone and fax, he worked to find treatment for his patients in a broken mental health care system.

Louis will be missed by his wide assortment of friends from school, politics, volleyball, improv, music, work, and Glenn, Michigan, where his family has owned a cottage since 1929.

He is survived by his wife, Sonya Booth; stepdaughters Celia and Sophia Magnone; son-in-law Carroll Wainwright; and two granddaughters. He was a fond uncle to Mia, Andrew and Alex Diamond, Lara Blumstein and Jonathan Chandler, and a loving great-uncle to their children. He is preceded in death by his parents, Sylvia and William Diamond, and his brother, Stephan Diamond.

Donations in his memory may be made to the Irving Park Community Food Pantry, where he was an enthusiastic volunteer. He would like you to listen to live music whenever possible, and always tip the band generously.