Obituaries

John Erwin Pyles
Jan 20, 2008
John Erwin Pyles, 80, of Lorain, died Sunday, January 20, 2008 at his residence while under the care of Hospice of the Western Reserve following a short illness. A Lorain resident since 1953, John started working for Ford Motor Co. Brookpark plant in Cleveland. He then worked for Lorain Lumber for 17 years followed by Black River Lumber as a...

Mary Novak
Jan 15, 2008
Mary Novak (nee Belovics) died January 15, 2008 at home and under the care of The Hospice of the Cleveland Clinic, following a short illness. She was born on May 23, 1923 in Mikohaza, Hungary, emigrated to the United States in 1938 and became an American citizen in 1945. Mary grew up in an agricultural background and brought with her...

Agapito Velez
Jan 13, 2008
Agapito "Pito" Velez, age 70, of Lorain, died on Sunday, January 13, 2008, at Community Health Partners HSC - West, Lorain, after a long illness. He was born on April 10, 1937 in San German, Puerto Rico, moving to Lorain in 1954, where he has resided for most of his life. He was employed as a machine operator at Western...

Rev. Pablo Reyes
Jan 11, 2008
Rev. Pablo Reyes, age 75, of Lorain, died on Friday, January 11, 2008, at his residence, unexpectedly. He was born on January 26, 1932 in Utuado, Puerto Rico. He had moved to Lorain in 1964. From there, he lived in various states until finally returning to Lorain in 2005. Pablo attended Grand Valley State College, and graduated from the Latin...

Michael Yavornitzky
Jan 10, 2008
Michael Yavornitzky, age 91, of Lorain, died on January 10, 2008, at Autumn Aegis Nursing Home, while under the care of New Life Hospice, following an extended illness. He was born on August 20, 1916 in Cleveland, Ohio, moving to Lorain in 1918, where he has resided since. He was a 1934 graduate of Lorain High School. After graduation, Michael...

Eliza P Hernandez
Jan 8, 2008
Eliza P. Hernandez (nee Palacios), 94, of Lorain, died Tuesday, January 8, 2008 at her residence while under the care of New Life Hospice. She was born June 14, 1913 in Coahuila, Mexico, living in Malakoff, Texas before coming to Lorain in 1941. While living in Texas, she worked as a nurse's aid and as an interpreter. She was a...

George A. Billings
Jan 4, 2008
Lieutenant George A. Billings (Ret.), age 95, formerly of Lorain, died on Friday, January 04, 2008, at Grace Hospital in Amherst following a short illness. Born on November 29, 1912 in Lorain, he lived in Lorain most of his life. He spent the last several years of his life living in Elyria, near his son. He graduated from St. Mary...

Julia Demich
Jan 3, 2008
Julia Demich (nee Zapotochny), age 81, of Lorain, died on Thursday, January 3, 2008, at her residence, following a lengthy illness. She was born on July 4, 1926 in Lorain, where she has been a life-long resident. Julia graduated from Lorain High School. She was employed at Lorain Phone Company from 1947 until 1955. Julia was a member of St....

Marilyn J. Dallas
Dec 31, 2007
Marilyn J. Dallas, (nee Nairy), 71 of Lorain, died Monday, December 31, 2007 at her daughters residence while under the care of New Life Hospice. She was born Jan. 24, 1936, in Elyria and had been a lifelong Lorain resident. She worked for Center Cleaning, North Ridgeville for 20 years, retiring in 2004. She was a member of St. Joseph...

Margaret B. Findish
Dec 27, 2007
Margaret B. Findish, (nee Thomas), 89, of Lorain, died Thursday, December 27, 2007 at Community Health Partners Hospital and Surgical Center West, Lorain. She was born March 21, 1918 in Windber, PA; coming to Lorain from there in 1964. She was a member of Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Lorain. Margaret was a homemaker who enjoyed playing bingo. Surviving is her...

George Dyriw
Dec 26, 2007
George Dyriw, 84, of Lorain, died Wednesday, December 26, 2007 at his residence following a short illness. He was born November 9, 1923 in Krasno, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine, coming to Lorain from West Germany in 1951. He worked in the transportation department at the Lorain Ford Assembly Plant for 23 years, retiring in 1983. He was a member of St. John...

Olga Iris Melendez
Dec 23, 2007
Olga Iris Melendez, (nee Quinones), age 65, of Lorain, died on Sunday, December 23, 2007 unexpectedly. She was born on March 30, 1942 in Penuelas, Puerto Rico, living in Lorain most of her life. Olga received her nursing degree at Lorain Community College. She was employed as a LPN at St. John West Shore Hospital for over 10 years. Prior...

Helen Norton
Dec 21, 2007
Helen Norton, (nee Ilcisco) 85, of Lorain, died Friday, December 21, 2007 at Kingston of Vermilion. She was born July 30, 1922 in Lorain; moving to Avon in 1947 where she lived until moving back to Lorain in 1985. She was a 1940 graduate of Lorain High School. She was a "Rosie the Riveter" for three years during World War...

Rosendo Lopez
Dec 20, 2007
Rosendo M. Lopez, 90, of Lorain, died Thursday, December 20, 2007 at Autumn Aegis Retirement Center following a lengthy illness. He was born August 29, 1917 in Puerto Rico; coming to Lorain in 1947 where he has lived since. Rosendo worked at Lorain Works US Steel for over 30 years, retiring in 1979. He was a member of Sacred Heart...

Gerald D. Smith
Dec 16, 2007
Gerald D. Smith, age 75, of Lorain, died on Sunday, December 16, 2007 at his residence, following a brief illness. He was born on May 3, 1932 in Lorain, where he has been a lifelong resident. He attended St. Ladislaus Parochial School, Hawthorne and Lorain High School. He served in the United States Army as a corporal during the Korean...

Doris Lantz Webker
Dec 13, 2007
Doris Lanz Webker, age 77, of Parma, died on Thursday, December 13, 2007 at her home. She was born on July 28, 1930 in Cleveland, living in Columbus, Ohio and Tuscon, Arizona, before moving to Parma many years ago. Doris was a 1950 graduate of Dyke College, Cleveland, earning her Bachelor of Business Administration Degree. First she worked for the...

Ramon O. Garza
Dec 13, 2007
Ramon O. Garza, Sr., age 76, of Elyria Township, died unexpectedly on Thursday, December 13, 2007, at his home. He was born on August 11, 1931 in Hebronville, Texas. He lived most of his life in Lorain, moving to Elyria Township in 1994. Ramon was a graduate of Lorain High School, and then attended Lorain Business College for two years....

Genevieve "Aunt Jean" Kure
Dec 9, 2007
Genevieve "Aunt Jean" Kure, (nee Darmafall), 77, of Lorain, died Sunday, December 09, 2007 at Community Health Partners Hospital and Surgical Center West, Lorain, following a short illness. Genevieve was born March 30, 1930 in Lorain, where she was a life long resident. She graduated from Lorain High School in 1948. She retired from Ohio Edison, Lorain, where she worked...

Robert "Bobby" Bender
Dec 5, 2007
Robert "Bobby" Bender, age 66, of Lorain, passed away on Wednesday, December 5, 2007, at his residence, after a lengthy battle with Leukemia. He was born on March 9, 1941 in Lorain, where he has resided his entire life. He attended Lorain High School. Robert was employed at US Steel, in the transportation department, as a truck driver for 33...

Aida E. Irene
Nov 29, 2007
Aida E. Irene (nee Gonzalez), age 85, of Lorain, died on Thursday, November 29, 2007, at New Life Hospice Center of St. Joseph, Lorain. She was born on January 26, 1922 in Adjuntas, Puerto Rico, later moving to Lorain, where she had spent most of her life. She was employed as a lunch aide for the Lorain City School System...