New Lenox Family Mourns Death Of Husband, Father After Freak Accident

NEW LENOX, IL — A tragic chain of events has shattered a New Lenox family, who are now left to mourn their husband and father.

Mia LaMore, 12, had asked her father Aaron, 45, to lead a canned food collection effort for her Girl Scouts troop. The family was driving around a neighboring subdivision picking up donations on Nov. 6, with the father-daughter pair riding in the open hatchback for convenience. The car was traveling about 5 mph.

"They didn’t even get to the first house, when he lost his footing, fell backwards out of the car onto the pavement, and struck his head on the back," said his brother-in-law Ryan Talaga.

The fall set in motion a chain of events that would claim LaMore's life.

Initially, LaMore had appeared stunned but minimally injured, Talaga said, even standing and walking to the ambulance on his own. But after being transported to Silver Cross for a CT scan, he grew increasingly agitated. Doctors realized he had suffered multiple skull fractures, and swelling in and bleeding on the brain. As his condition declined, his agitation increased. Doctors were attempting to stabilize him for transport to the University of Chicago Hospital, when he suffered cardiac arrest for several minutes. He was airlifted to the Chicago hospital.

"His injuries were grave at that time, irreversible damage," Talaga said. Doctors had done all they could, but LaMore would not recover.

Stunned by the rapid turn of events, LaMore's wife Erin was faced with a decision to find some good from their loss, Talaga said. His family quickly moved to make him an organ donor with Gift of Hope, deciding to take him off life support.

"We tried to turn a terrible situation into a situation that gives us a little sense of peace, working with Gift of Hope," said Talaga, Erin's brother.

"This is the worst thing that could happen to my sister and my niece, but knowing that he’s able to save lives, gives them some peace."

An Army veteran, LaMore was taken off life support on Veterans Day—Nov. 11, 2022—and was pronounced dead at 11:22 p.m. The synchronicity was not lost on Talaga.

"I don’t know if it was a sign from him, or just a coincidence," Talaga said.

The University of Chicago held an Honor Walk before LaMore would go on to donate his kidneys, liver and tissue. His heart was flown to New York, where it was the missing piece to a very rare match, the recipient a 40 to 50-year-old male. The final selfless act aligned perfectly with how LaMore had lived, Talaga said.

"He was very selfless," Talaga told Patch. "Any time I needed something, he would help me, take the time to walk me through it. ... He would always give as much as he could."

With his sister marrying someone with a name so phonetically similar to her own, Talaga had taken to affectionately calling Aaron "Double A."

"He was like the life of the party, you knew when 'Double A' would show up to a function, walk into a room," Talaga said. "He was very loud, energetic—if you weren’t a hugger, it didn’t make any difference to him. He was just like a big bear, would pull you into a hug."

The loss is staggering, and one they all can't seem to wrap their heads around just yet. Talaga is especially heartbroken for his niece, a sixth-grader in New Lenox District 122 schools.

"Mia was a daddy’s girl, to the nth degree, that’s what’s really challenging," Talaga said.

Erin initially told her family she at first thought her husband was "being silly" and had feigned the fall.

"'I honestly thought he jumped out of the back of the car being silly, because that’s something he would do,'" she had told them. "He was kind of very light-hearted, loved joking around, she really thought he was just being silly."

LaMore, originally from Manteno, was married to Erin for 16 years. He worked as a tollway supervisor. The family has lived in New Lenox for six years, and are members of Parkview Church. Family has started a GoFundMe on behalf of Erin and Mia. Funds raised will go toward expenses, medical bills, and Mia’s future schooling.

"It’ll be challenging, but you just have to take it one day at a time, and do the best you can," Talaga said, of the family's coping with tragedy.

Visitation will be held Thursday at Kurtz Memorial Chapel, 65 Old Frankfort Way, from 3 to 9 p.m. A funeral service will be held Friday, Nov. 18 at 10:30 a.m., at Parkview Christian Church, New Lenox Campus 2121 S. Schoolhouse Road. LaMore will be buried at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to Gift of Hope or the Wounded Warrior Project are encouraged.

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