John R. Lazar

John R. Lazar, 71, of Ottawa passed away Wednesday, March 25, 2015 at his home. Funeral Ceremony will be held at 1:00 pm Monday, March 30, 2015 at Ottawa Funeral Home with Rev. David Kipfer officiating. Visitation will be 11:00 am to 1:00 pm two hours prior to services on Monday at Ottawa Funeral Home. Burial will be in Ottawa Avenue Cemetery, with Military Honors. John was born June 15, 1943 in Ottawa, Illinois to Rudolph and Catherine (Fahey) Lazar. He served in Vietnam from July 1967 to November 1968, 25th Infantry Division USARV, where he received a purple heart. John retired from Illinois Department of Transportation in 2001. He was a great dad, grandpa, and great-grandpa. His life was a definition of a True American: Small town local boy that served his country without complaint, and again served his community/state with his work profession. His family will always remember his bright mind and fondness for mathematics. He was always trying to find the solution to a problem, as though the technology were not available to make it easier. He was a self-proclaimed jokester as well, setting us up in the seriousness of a story, only to abruptly drop a punch line. He was surely the "best of the best" and will be missed. He is survived by one daughter, Nicole (Ponch) Diaz of Plano; three grandchildren, Michael (Alisha) Lazar, of Ottawa, Shain (Jill) Diaz, of Oswego, and Cheyanne Diaz of Plano; two great-grandchildren, Michael and Morgan Lazar both of Ottawa; four siblings, Robert (Sandra) Lieske of Marseilles, Judy Demko of Streator, and Kathy Dorsett of Ottawa, and James Lazar of Chicago. He is preceded in death by his parents; two sons, John Lazar in 1980 and Michael Lazar in 1991; one sister, Delores; and one brother, Rudolph "Sonny" Lazar. Pallbearers will be Ponch, Shain, Jill, and Chey Diaz, Michael Lazar, and Beau Niedjelski. Memorials may be directed to his family.