Lazaro "Larry" Nava Vega Jr.

On Thursday, October 8, 2026, Lazaro Nava Vega Jr. (Larry) of Grand Rapids passed away ten days after celebrating his 90th birthday. Beloved husband of Jan Vega and loving father—from his first marriage to Mary Ellen Vega—to Lazaro Nava Vega III (Lesley), Mary Sarah Goodheart (Robert) and Alicia Louise Johnson (Timothy), as well as grandfather to Zachary Johnson (Arianna), Zoe Johnson, Louise Vega, and Eleanor Vega. He leaves a familial legacy to be proud of.

He is preceded in death by his father Lazaro Nava Vega Sr. and mother Sarah Lopez Tapia de Vega, as well as his five older siblings and their spouses: Francisco Miguel Nava Vega (Phyllis); Guillermo Lopez Vega (Georgia); Angelina Vara (Gilbert); Lydia Cook Collings (Neil); and Ninfa Vega Gutierrez (Richard).

He was born in San Antonio, Texas, where he attended Central Catholic High School, pitched a legendary no-hitter, and played alto and baritone saxophones in the school’s dance and marching bands. After high school, Larry spent time in the rear seat of an F-89 Scorpion fighter jet as a member of the Air National Guard in the Korean War era. He matriculated at Aquinas College where he met his first wife Mary Ellen Hands, moved to East Grand Rapids, and in 1962 established Family Budget Service, a credit counseling agency, which he owned and operated for over four decades.

He remarried in 1983 to Janet (Jan) Ryan Vega who survives him, as does his sister-in-law, Sue Bogard, and many cherished nieces and nephews.

To say that Larry loved to play golf would be an understatement. With six holes-in-one to his credit, he was a member at the Highlands and Scott Lake Golf Course for many years and played in a variety of leagues. He championed the perpetually un-victorious Detroit Lions his whole life, as well as the Detroit Tigers and Michigan State athletics. An avid—and expert—deer hunter, he once bagged two deer with a single shot.

He was also active in his community, participating in the Grand Rapids Jaycees, Better Business Bureau, AMBUCS, and a statewide organization overseeing the credit counseling industry in Michigan with his friend Jerry McTaggart, The Michigan Association of Credit Counselors. He took pride in helping people through his work and will be greatly missed by friends and family alike.

Funeral services will be held on Friday, October 23, 2026 at Reyers North Valley Chapel, 2815 Fuller Ave., Grand Rapids. Visitation will begin at 1:00 pm with a Celebration of Life service to follow at 2:00 pm.

In lieu of flowers, charitable donations can be made to Corewell Hospice at give.corewellhealth.org.

To leave an online condolence for the family, please visit the website ReyersNorthValleyChapel.com.