John Ozols

Janis "John" Ozols of Mountain Home, Arkansas, aged 77, passed away on the Friday, December 22, 2023 at Baxter Health. He was born in Neumunster, Germany in 1946 to Latvian parents Andrejs and Vera Ozols, who were taken by the Nazis from Latvia to be used as labor as they were losing WWII. Following the end of WWII, the displaced family emigrated to the United States to manage a farm in West Virginia. After a few years, the family relocated to Indianapolis. Like many immigrants, they lived in a single room of a house with other Latvian families until they were able to save enough money for their own home. Learning English as a Second Language, his parents studied and passed their naturalization tests. When they became citizens, John, age 11, and his younger brother became naturalized citizens and went on to graduate from high school. John continued his education at Purdue earning a BS degree in math. He and his brother learned English in school before there were ESL classes for English Language Learners.

Upon graduating from Purdue in 1968 (during draft years of Vietnam Conflict), he traveled to California for a friend’s wedding and “turned himself in” to the Army because he knew he would be drafted soon. He did basic training at Fort Ord in California and was headed for the infantry, but an Army physical found he would have trouble bearing heavy army packs so he was transferred to another training program which ended up being finance school training. Ironically, he was sent to Fort Benjamin Harrison for financial training near Indianapolis, so he was close to family and home for a few weeks. Upon completion of his financial training, he was reassigned to MacDill AFB with a high security clearance to work in an Army contingent group on the AFB.

In 1969, while stationed at MacDil AFB, John met Cheryl Crawford, a college student, who had moved with her disabled parents from Texas. They were married in November of 1970 as John finished his two-year enlistment. The newlyweds decided to take advantage of his GI Bill and continue their education at University of Florida at Gainesville. Both worked at the Gainesville VAH in clerical positions. John completed a second BS degree in forestry while his wife completed a BA in English and a M.Ed. in Secondary Education. He was offered a position as Vet Rep at Grayslake Community College as his wife finished her last quarter of degree work. He moved to Illinois, bought their first home, and began his new job. His wife traveled briefly to Illinois for an interview for a high school teaching position, was hired and returned to finish her summer term. She joined him in August of that year.

For the next ten years, John enjoyed exploring Wisconsin on hiking trips in with their two dogs as well as taking fishing trips to Upper Peninsula of Michigan and doing his Vet Rep work. Following the end of the Vet Rep period, he eventually found his way to the International Division of Baxter Travenol, where he was offered a training position as a programmer where he would master RPG programming on his own. That led to a year of travels with the International Division, including an exciting trip to Europe with his wife before the project began. Though he enjoyed the big projects, John decided to seek a different position within the company as he and his wife were expecting their first daughter after 14 years of marriage. Almost fifteen months later and after the birth of their second daughter, John accepted a position at Baxter Laboratories in Mountain Home, Arkansas. In a whirlwind move, the Ozols family relocated to Arkansas to begin the next chapter of their lives.

Over the next twenty five years, John enjoyed his hobby of fishing thanks to Bull Shoals Lake and Norfork Lake in Arkansas, and developed lifelong friendships while perfecting his craft. He flourished in his role as a father, never missing a dance recital or band concert. He shared his love of nature with his daughters, from birding to fishing. He spent many summers on the lake with his boat as his wife water skied and his children tubed. His most important job was to bring home fresh fish from the lake and prepare it in his special way. At work, John was able to move to Systems Analyst position and eventually Senior Systems Analyst. In 2008, John suffered complications after open-heart surgery, an event that shook his family and friends to its core. Against all odds, John survived and over the next decade rebuilt his life, experiencing successes and setbacks. Alongside his wife, he was able to watch his daughters flourish in their personal lives and their careers. He became a grandfather, passing on his distinctive Latvian chin to his two grandsons as well as his mind for math. He cared for his mother, Vera Ozols as she succumbed to Parkinson’s disease. He spent every chance he could on the lake, with the help of his doting wife, when the job got too challenging. When he couldn’t get out, he enjoyed watching the televised bass fishing tournaments, solving the world’s problems over the phone with his daughters, or tending to the numerous pets that blessed his life.

John is survived by his wife of 53 years, Cheryl Ozols of Mountain Home, AR; daughter, Jessica (Matt) Creekmore and two grandsons, Andrew and Joseph Creekmore of Franklin, TN; daughter, Catherine Ozols of Mountain Home, AR, his brother, Valdis (Marlene) Ozols of Highlands, CO, his sister-in-law Sheila (Hassan) Safarzadeh of TX; niece, Roshann (Franky) Cardenas; great nieces, Isabella and Mia of League City, TX; niece Parisa Safarzadeh of Oakland, CA; and nephew, Adam Safarzadeh of Houston, TX; and a recently discovered cousin from Latvia, Janis Mezavilks.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Andrejs and Vera Ozols; and his father and mother in law, Walter and Eva Ruth Crawford. John Ozols will be deeply missed but his family is grateful for the 15 years they almost didn’t get.

A Memorial Service for John will be 10:00 am, Thursday, December 28, 2023, at Kirby & Family Funeral Home, with Pastor Elroy Tesch Jr. officiating. Military Honors will be provided by the Alley-White American Legion Post #52 and United States Army Honor Guards.

Arrangements are by Kirby and Family Funeral and Cremation Services - Mountain Home, Arkansas. Visit an online obituary and guestbook at www.kirbyandfamily.com .