PEORIA — Elisha “Lamelo” Gilbert’s family, friends and community will say goodbye with services on Thursday and Friday in Peoria.
Gilbert, 20, was a former Notre Dame and Manual high school track and football athlete, shot to death in his car on Oct. 26 in Peoria.
The family has released some details on arrangements through the Gilkesson Mortuary and Cremation Life Center in Peoria.
According to the obituary, a wake will be held Thursday from 4-6 p.m. at Gilkesson funeral home (428 W. McClure Ave., Peoria). An additional hour of visitation will begin at 11 a.m. on Friday at Unity House of Prayer (815 Perry St., Peoria). Funeral services will follow there at noon.
Pastor Wayne Wickware will bring the eulogy and Rev. Harvey Burnett, pastor of New Bethel Church of God In Christ, and Gilbert’s track coach at Manual High School, will officiate.
‘Our hearts are heavy’
Reactions to Gilbert’s death have poured in from social media.
St. Mark’s Catholic School in Peoria, which Gilbert attended in his youth, posted a gallery of pictures and wrote condolences.
Former Bradley Braves basketball star Marcellus Sommerville, whose son, college basketball player Lathan, is Gilbert’s cousin, posted a gallery of photos. He wrote: “Our hearts are heavy, and our prayers are with the NGA family and the Sommerville family during this difficult time as we mourn the loss of Elisha Gilbert this week.”
Harvey Burnett, head coach of the Manual Rams track team, posted on behalf of the track program “With the heaviest of hearts, the Manual Runnin’ Rams Men’s Track & Field Team says goodbye to one of our greatest athletes and team leaders, Elisha “Lamelo” Gilbert.
“May his family be forever blessed, comforted, and strengthened during this time, and may Melo Rest In Power until we all meet again in that Great Day of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
An acquaintance of Gilbert’s, listed on social media as Mo Sims, wrote “I wish I would have held you tighter the last time we hugged. … wish we would have talked longer our last conversation, I wish I could of protected you from this somehow.”
There was a dinner hosted by the Gilbert family on Sunday at the Peoria Friendship House and Brooke Sommerville posted “Our family is grieving deeply. Please help support our family and help raise money to assist with funeral costs for Elisha Gilbert.”
Donations to help the family can be made via Gilkesson Funeral Home or the Unity House of Prayer in Peoria.
(This story has been updated with additional information)
Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports columnist, and covers Bradley men’s basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. He can be reached at 686-3206 or deminian@pjstar.com. Follow him on X.com @icetimecleve.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Funeral services announced for 20-year-old athlete killed in Peoria
Reporting by Dave Eminian, Peoria Journal Star / Journal Star
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