George Romano

George Romano, 92, of Ottawa, IL passed away Tuesday, December 6, 2022, at OSF St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria, IL.

Funeral ceremony with Military Honors will be held at 1:00pm on Sunday, December 11, at Ottawa Funeral Home, with Pastor Sherry Stevenson officiating. Visitation will be held from 12:00pm noon until the time of the service Sunday at the funeral home.

George was born on August 20, 1930, in LaSalle, IL, to George and Frances (Martini) Romano. He married Shirley Romano (Mann) on January 28, 1961 at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Ottawa. She passed away January 28, 2020.

George grew up in the LaSalle area and attended LaSalle Peru High School. He served in the Navy from 1948 until 1952 where he was a part of the Berlin Air Lift. After returning from the Navy, he attended Oregon State University and graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Agriculture and Wildlife Management in 1957. He began working for the Internal Revenue Service in 1957 until his retirement in 1985.

George received many awards over the years including Government Employee of the Year, the Phoenix Award from Ottawa Horizon House, and the Herbert Galatan Award from the United States Department of the Treasury. He volunteered as a tutor at Illinois Valley Community College, as well as at the library setting up displays and giving various presentations. He loved restoring antiques and was an active member of the LaSalle County Genealogical Guild. A natural comedian, he never met a stranger, and wrote jokes with his friends to sell to publications until his death.

He is survived by his two children, Gregory (Cindy) Romano of Noblesville, IN and Lisa Romano (Robert) Palacios of Carol Stream, IL and his grandchildren, Jonathan, Hayley and Kristin Romano and Katie and Lexi Palacios. He was preceded in death by his wife,  parents, and his siblings, Josephine Savoure, Rose Stein, Marie Perhay, Celia Purdy, Theresa Grau, and John, Joseph, Frank, and Anthony Romano.

Memorials may be directed to the family.