Karlis Janis Lazda greatly loved by everyone in his family closed his eyes suddenly and unexpectedly for eternity in his home by a fatal unforseen heart attack on November 11, 2025. He is going to be lovingly remembered by his wife, Krista and his daughter, Kaija. Greatly missed by his mother Mara, his sister Laura, his brother Paulis with wife Daina and their three children, Selga, Zinta, and Kristaps, as well as the rest of the Lazda family along with other relatives and friends in the United States, Latvia, and Canada.

Karlis was born on October 26, 1965, in Cleveland, Ohio, the oldest son of Dainis and Mara Lazda. When Karlis was three years old the family which now included a sister, Laura, moved to New Hartford, Connecticut, where he spent his early childhood and education starting kindergarten and completing sixth grade in the New Hartford Elementary School. During these years he welcomed his younger brother, Paulis, into the family, made many friends, and was active in a number of activities, such as baseball, gymnastics, scouting, swimming, and skiing. He also attended the Latvian School in Manchester, Connecticut. His first language was Latvian. He had to learn English when he started school and even spoke with an accent until his vocal cords adjusted to the English language.

The family moved to Illinois in 1977 and settled in Deerfield. Here he continued with swimming, skiing, scouting and on Saturdays attended the Krisjana Barona Latvian School. He rather reluctantly learned Latvian folk dancing, but with great enthusiasm performed in the 1983 Latvian Song and Dance Festival in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Summers were spent with both sets of grandparents and at the Latvian camp Garezers in Three Rivers, Michigan. Karlis graduated from Deerfield High School in 1983. He was not ready to continue his education and worked at several construction sites as a brick layer. When he realized that he wanted more from life, he enrolled in Southern Illinois University with a major in forestry. He graduated with honors with a Bachelors Degree in 1997. He started working for the US Forestry Department on a temporary basis in entry level positions in such places as Needles, California, and South Dakota, and traveling to many of the southern states. He took many pictures of the various places he was sent to. When the family gathered together at Christmas, he projected these pictures on the wall and entertained everyone with his various exploits and experiences. In 2001 he was offered, and he accepted a permanent position with the government in Gaylord, Michigan. Here he spent a lot of time hiking through Michigan state forests and evaluating the condition of the trees and wildlife. Eventually he transferred to Huron-Manistee National Forests with the US Department of Agriculture in Mio, Michigan. Here he earned his silviculturist certification and worked as a Zone Silviculturist. He was very proud of this achievement.

Another aspect of his job that was important to him was his participation and involvement with fighting wildfires throughout the country. Karlis was part of one of the US Forest Service’s programs that recruited employees to travel to various parts of the country to help put out fires. Many years ago he completed the basic fire fighting training and each year passed the mandatory Work Capacity Test which involved walking three miles carrying 45 lbs. in 45 minutes. He was very proud that even in his 50’s he was still able to complete this test. Thus, a good part of each summer was spent away from home helping extinguish wildfires.

In his youth Karlis was adventurous. At the age of 21 unbeknownst to anyone and unexpectedly, he joined his two best friends, Eriks and Peteris Stuberovskis, on their way to Alaska to work on a crab fishing boat. He left a note for his family on the kitchen table telling them where he was heading, leaving his parents very worried. He wrote home that now he really knows what hard work is. Today this is a great story to tell.

Once Karlis was secure in his career, he was ready to start family life. In 2001 he married Aija Braunfelds in a beautiful mountain top wedding ceremony in upstate New York and bought a home in the Michaywe Subdivision in Gaylord. Here his daughter, Kaija, was born in 2005. Kaija was very important to Karlis, and he loved her very much. He instilled in her his love for skiing. Started teaching her to ski when she was only three years old at Boyne Mountain Ski Resort. This activity has been a very strong bond between them all these years. Also when Kaija was three, Karlis commissioned a contractor to design and build a home for them in Lewiston, Michigan. He continued living there after his divorce from Aija in 2013. His beloved boxer, Boksis, kept him company. He was heartbroken when Boksis died. Said that Boksis had been a true friend.

Life really smiled upon him when he met Krista Treiguts at the Latvian camp Garezers three years ago and fell deeply in love with her. They were each other’s soulmates. Their marriage on October 14, 2024, in Michigan and the following wedding reception on November 2nd in Toronto were truly moments of great joy and happiness. There is a big smile on Karlis’ face in every picture that he is with Krista. He commented that he wished he had met her years ago, that she brought out the best in him. He said Krista made him a better person.

Karlis had many interests and accomplishments. One was furniture building. He was an excellent craftsman. His basement workshop is meticulously organized with many tools. The crowning spot is the large workbench with numerous drawers, little niches for small items and positions and places for many tools. Karlis built this! This was a big accomplishment! He has built many of the furniture pieces in his house, like the buffet, kitchen stools, queen sized bed with bedside tables, a full length mirror stand, a refinished bed that once belonged to his paternal grandparents, and a beautiful desk for Kaija. His plan for retirement was to resume his furniture building.

Politics interested Karlis greatly. He followed current events and was very knowledgeable of present and past happenings. He and his mother spent many hours on the phone discussing what was going on in the world, as well as many other topics.

On his 50th birthday he gifted himself a lime-green Challenger, a very proud possession. Only drove it when the weather was good. Not a single scratch, dent or blemish on the car. Washed it every week during the summer.

His sister Laura describes her brother, Karlis, as the type of guy: what you see is what you get. He was genuine, honest, trustworthy, and loyal. He was smart, talented, adventurous, very hardworking, and had a sense of humor. Karlis would not mince words, he would tell it like it is. Karlis was a good person. Although he didn’t always show it, he was also sensitive and took things to heart.

Although Karlis experienced some life obstacles both personally and medically, he never complained. He did what needed to be done. He took care of business. Karlis was a great father. He loved Kaija very much and was extremely proud of her. He was constantly posting pictures of Kaija on his Facebook page. He cherished the time he spent together with her. He would do anything for her.

Two very sad things happened to Karlis in the last few months of his life. One was the death of his Godfather Paulis this past March. Many years ago when Karlis was still a small boy his Godfather had given him on his birthday a mininature replica of a crane that actually worked. Even today this crane is proudly displayed in his home in honor of his Godfather. The other sad occurrence was the death of his father in August of this year while he was visiting Latvia. This was very emotional and upsetting not only for Karlis, but for the entire family. Karlis did not get to attend his father’s funeral. He had already passed away a few days earlier. One week after his father’s funeral, the family held a funeral for Karlis.

Karlis has left a great void in the Lazda family that will never be filled. Krista organized a beautiful service for him at Boyne Mountain Ski Resort where he and Kaija had spent so many years skiing. Many friends and family traveled a great distance to be there, and many of his co-workers attended to say good-bye to a truly wonderful person.

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