Lawrence E. Zuwala

Lawrence E. Zuwala, age 82, of Geneva, Illinois passed away on Monday, April 14, 2025. Born to Edward and Virginia Zuwala, Larry passed away in his home in Geneva, IL. Larry grew up in Bensenville, IL and graduated from Fenton High School. He also graduated from University of Illinois with a BS in Animal Sciences. He was married to Barbara Zuwala (nee Vedral) in 1965. He recently lost his wife Darlene whom he had married in 1986.

Larry is survived by his sisters Sally (the late Gary) Oman, Regina (the late Paul) Rutter, and Charmaine (Eldred) Schrofer and his two sons; Mark (Mary) Zuwala, Winter Garden, FL; Christopher (Tammy) Zuwala, Williamsburg, VA plus five step children; Daryl (Kenley) Hopper, Semora, NC; Kurt (Bernadine) Matthews, St. Charles, IL; Christina (James) O’Donnell, Chanton, OH; David (Theresa) Matthews, Roxboro, NC; Kevin (Janet) Matthews, Geneva, IL.

Larry was preceded in death by his wife J. Darlene Zuwala (formerly Matthews) and his stepdaughter Dina (Ken) Deeds, Whitefish, MT.

Larry is the loving grandfather of 21 grandchildren – Mark’s: Jillian; Christopher’s: Matthew and Katelyn; Daryl’s: Amber, Ryan and Ashley; Kurt’s: Nathan, Nicholas, Heather, Christopher and Casey; Christina’s: Samuel, Anna, Callie, and Ben; David’s: Patrick, Mary and Peter; Kevin’s: Andrew, William and Jack. He has 22 great grandchildren.

Larry has lived in Geneva for nearly 40 years. He worked for American Can Company and Ball Corporation before retiring in 2007. In his earlier years, he enjoyed coaching soccer and refereeing soccer matches, including at the high school level. He enjoyed gardening and general tinkering around the house. During his retirement he worked as an area coordinator for CoCoRaHS, a volunteer network of backyard weather observers. He volunteered with his wife at the Geneva senior center. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made at https://donate.cancer.org or 1-800-227-2345.