Dennis Lazuta

Dennis Lazuta lived a life shaped by service, generosity, humor, and compassion, leaving an enduring mark on the greater Cleveland community.

A proud graduate of St. Ignatius High School, Dennis pursued university studies and graduated in psychology before following the path that ultimately became his life’s calling: funeral service. He understood the human side of things—how people grieve, how families hold together, how love shows up in a thousand different ways—and he carried that understanding into everything he did.

After completing his mortuary education and early training at Kolodiy Funeral Home, Dennis’s life moved quickly into responsibilities that required strength and steadiness. Drafted into the Vietnam War, he served with honor in a role that demanded dignity and care. Those early years shaped something deep in him: discipline, dependability, and a profound respect for what people carry.

Back home in Ohio, Dennis stepped fully into the vocation that became his life’s work. He built Kolodiy-Lazuta Funeral Home from the ground up and devoted more than 45 years as a funeral director to serving families across greater Cleveland through loss, grief, and remembrance.

Dennis did far more than provide a service. He brought comfort through his presence and his attention to detail. He had an artistic and deeply personal regard for how people should be cared for in death. He believed that, especially in loss, people deserved dignity. He wanted them to look their best in their worst moment. That was his gift, and it was rare.

He also showed love through action—often quietly—in the ways he made sure people were cared for, supported, and looked after. He was devoted to his church, generous in his philanthropy, and committed to the community he loved, and people felt that not only in words, but in the real ways he showed up and helped.

Dennis brought lightness, too. He was a storyteller and often the first to offer a joke, bringing warmth and levity even when life felt heavy. A lover of all sports, with a particular fondness for football, he never missed a chance for good-natured banter. That spirit stayed with him until his final days, and it is one of the many reasons people loved being around him.

Most of all, Dennis was deeply loved by his family, his friends, his community, and the many families whose lives he touched.

He is survived by his beloved wife, Nancy; his sons, Christopher (Kristen) and Derin (Ashley); his stepdaughters, Christina (Christopher) and Tatiana (Pawel); his loving nephew, Danny; and his grandchildren Avery, Caroline, Kendall, and Arthur. He was preceded in death by his parents Max and Mary and his brothers, Gene and Mike.

Family and friends are invited to a visitation on Monday, March 16, 2026 from 4 PM- 8 PM (Parastas 7 PM) at Kozij-Lazuta Funeral Home 5677 State Rd. Parma, OH 44134. Funeral Liturgy on Tuesday, March 17, 2026 at 10 AM at St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral (Please Meet at Church) 5720 State Rd. Parma, OH 44134. Interment Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery Seville, Ohio.