In 35 years as a funeral director, Tom Gill had never encountered a spectacle like the one that unfolded Tuesday morning.

READ: Fugitive Manhunt—What Happened and What's Next

Gill, who is the director at Brady-Gill Funeral Home and Cremation Services, was overseeing a service at St. George Church when the FBI and other law enforcement agencies descended on a home across the street from the church, searching for two escaped convicts who broke out of a downtown Chicago prison.

SWAT team members, outfitted with rifles, helmets and bulletproof vests, searched the church and stayed inside, and mourners entered through the back parking lot, avoiding the U.S. Marshals and Tinley Park Police and Cook County Sheriff's Police officers surrounding the home in the 6600 block of 176th Street, Gill said.

"This is the first time I've seen anything like this," he said.

READ: Mother Turned Away Escaped Convict at Front Door, Landlord Says

Police alerted Gill at the funeral home to tell him about the developing situation near the church. The call came just as the funeral party was ready to drive over, Gill said.

Navigating the logistics of Tuesday's unfortunate situation, however, wasn't Gill's main concern.

"I feel sorry for the family," he said. "This is what they're going to remember about this funeral."

Other Stories About the Search for the Escaped Convicts:

• Scenes From a Manhunt (Photo Gallery)
• Orland Park Police Investigating False Bank Robbery Report

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