GLENVIEW, IL — A celebration of life was held Sept. 1, 2021 in Glenview IL for Thomas M. Celner, a longtime freelance lighting programmer who also worked for extended periods at Vari-Lite (1985-2002), Production Plus (2003-2004), ETC (2005-2006) and, after that, more than eight years at PRG.
From 2017 until shortly before his death on Feb. 29, 2020 at age 57, Celner worked as an adjunct professor at DePaul University in Chicago. This last gig brought him full circle — before launching a lighting career that would include tours with top artists and elaborate Broadway productions, Celner, a native of Rockford, IL, graduated from the DePaul’s Goodman Theater School with a BA degree in Technical Theater.
Predeceased by his wife Lisabeth Rohlck and his parents, Celner is survived by two sons, two brothers, nieces and nephews and inlaws and many lighting industry friends. The memorial service, held more than a year after Celner’s death at the outset of the Covid-19 pandemic, was attended by well over a hundred visitors.
