- Date Of Birth: April 13, 1952
- Date Of Death: September 25, 2020
- State: Michigan
Valdis Alfred Ozolins, age 68, passed away at his home on September 25, 2020, after a brief but courageous battle with pancreatic cancer.
Val was born on April 13, 1952, in Cadillac, MI, the son of Alfreds and Velta Ozolins.
His mother called him “Little Bunny” since he was born on Easter. The name stuck, and many of his close friends and family affectionately continued to know him as “Bun” or “Uncle Bun” throughout his entire life. He was a lifelong Kalamazoo-area resident and member of St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church in Richland. Val was employed for over fifty years as a machinist with Humphrey Products and Hytech Spring & Machine Company.
He graduated from Kalamazoo Central High School in 1970, actively participating on their swim team as well as several other sports. Throughout the 70s and 80s, you could find him cruising the streets of Kalamazoo on his “chopper” motorcycle or running the pool halls with his impeccable billiard skills.
A true outdoorsman, Val was most recently the Tournament Director for the Water Power Bass League. He enjoyed camping at Hardy Dam and fly-in fishing trips to Chisholm Kaby Kabins in Ontario, Canada.
An avid gardener, friends and neighbors always knew who to call when they needed vegetables, and there was always plenty of his famous potato soup to go around. In keeping with his family’s Latvian tradition, every Christmas season meant an abundance of his homemade Piragi “Piedogs” and his Apple Pie.
Val was an active member of the Kalamazoo Curling Club and worked tirelessly to support their programming and events. This year, the club bestowed the “The Rock” award to him, an annual award given to an outstanding volunteers in the club. He was the first to arrive and the last to leave, he helped with Learn to Curl classes for new players and volunteered with the ice crew when Kalamazoo hosted the US Curling National Championships in 2019. He also enjoyed bowling and could frequently be found throwing a mean curve down the local lanes. After retirement, he filled his days with ballroom dancing and religiously snow-blowing his entire neighborhood’s sidewalks for years. He was also formerly active in the Otsego Moose Lodge.
Val was preceded in death by his wife Marti Ozolins in 2014.
He is survived by his wife Claudia Ozolins. Val is also survived by his three daughters: Jennifer Rice, Melissa (Curtis) Allen, and Emily Ingram, and their mother Kristine Kipp; step-children: Lisa Miller, Jeff (Jennifer) Piotrowicz, Dan (Jamie) Piotrowicz, Ken (Lisa) Crampton, Jr., Brenda (Steve) Sands, Shari Hammond, Jill (Tom) Bolhuis, Joy (John) Dossey and Steve (Colleen) Bowker; several grandchildren; siblings: Aija (Robert) Wagner, John “Ozzy” (Mara) Ozolins, Ange Jirgensons, and Victor Ozolins; many nieces and nephews; and many friends including his long-time fishing partners: Scott Krieg and Jason Ellinger.
