Ella M. Lazich

Ella was born March 17, 1929, in Steubenville, Ohio to the late Samuel Drazich and Stella Bruich Drazich. Ella’s mother always told her she would be lucky because she was born on St. Patrick’s Day and Ella believed she was right because she had always felt that good things would happen to her, and they did.

Growing up in the Depression, Ella remembered that she had the most important things in her life – parents who loved her, many relatives close by to nurture her, cousins, and friends in the neighborhood. She lived two blocks from the Carnegie Library, where she started her lifelong love of reading and a few blocks from school, where she started her love of learning. She often said that the library opened the world to her and opened her mind to the possibilities for her. As a girl, she learned to play the violin and always enjoyed classical music. She graduated from Wintersville High School as Valedictorian of the Class of 1947.

Upon graduation from Century College in Chicago, she was employed by the Ohio Valley Hospital as a laboratory technician. Ella continued in this work when she married Perry Lazich in 1952. Both worked at the 6th Army Hospital, Camp Cook.

They settled in Barberton, Ohio where Perry was employed in the rubber tire industry and Ella, as a lab tech at Akron City Hospital. With little to do in a two-bedroom home, without children yet, and Perry continuing his education at night, Ella joined a discussion group based on the Great Books Foundation. A sample of the 27 volumes studied and discussed included classics such as Aristotle, Plato, Shakespeare, and Adam Smith. The subject matter included philosophy, and spiritual and economic thought.

As a mother, Ella nurtured her children through her superior emotional intelligence to encourage their natural gifts. Her deep spiritual faith was an inspiration to her family. She raised her children through positive wisdom, and they had deep trust in her mentorship as a mother and confidante. Her joy was infectious, and her wonderful laugh lifted hearts throughout her life. She taught her children a great appreciation for the arts and was a docent and a patron of the Canton Art Institute.

After her children were grown and were out on their own, Ella started to work as the manager of the laboratory of a child health clinic where she had previously volunteered. After ten years there, she felt that she had done as much as she could in adding new tests and new lab equipment to improve the work done in the lab, so in 1986, Ella decided to enroll as a fulltime student at Kent State University, majoring in English in the honors program. She wrote a play for her honors thesis. She graduated cum laude in 1990 and was the first student trustee of Kent State University.

Next, she enrolled in University of Akron Law School and then switched to a counseling program at Walsh University which was more satisfying. She and her husband enjoyed traveling extensively abroad, as well as domestically with the Roads Scholar programs.

In 1999, Ella believed it was time to gift the North Canton Library and the city. Ella established a charitable remainder trust to benefit educational programs for children and adults at the Library.

Ella was a member of Christ Presbyterian Church, Canton, since 1961 where she filled the roles of elder, deacon, Stephen Minister, PW president and many other volunteer opportunities including making the church’s famous chocolate pecan clusters to benefit mission projects. Other activities included being named to the Panel of American Women, a group who provided programs to educate others about justice issues relating to sex, race, ethnicity and social class. Ella was an avid environmentalist, contributing to many causes and working personally to protect and restore the environment. Ella enjoyed spending time in her garden. She was elegant and sophisticated yet humble and loving to all. She taught her children to know what you stand for and be committed to its truth.

She enjoyed many deep friendships as well as participating in groups to hone her hobbies with the Gourmet Club, Card Club, Book Clubs and many musical activities.

She will be greatly missed by her husband of 72 years, Perry of North Canton, OH, her daughters Melissa (Henry) Pearce of Medina OH and Dawn (Kevin Hogg) Goldammer of Inverness, IL, her son Matthew (Maya) Lazich of Studio City, CA, and five grandchildren, Kristen Goldammer of Chicago, IL, Ian Pearce of Boardman, OH, Ben Pearce of Sewickley, PA, and Elise and Elan Lazich of Studio City, CA. She is fondly remembered by her many nieces and nephews, and will be missed by her many friends. She was preceded in death by parents, and two brothers, George and Steve.

The family would like to thank her devoted caregiver Rebecca Richmond and Crossroads Hospice for their tender, skilled and compassionate care of Ella.

The family requests remembrance contributions in Ella’s name be given to Christ Presbyterian Church or North Canton Library.

Friends may call between 4-6 PM Friday, January 26 at Karlo-Libby Funeral Home. Services will be held on Saturday, January 27 at 11 AM at the funeral home, followed by burial at North Lawn Cemetery on Cleveland Avenue in Canton.