John was born on March 29, 1924 in Wilburn, IL, the son of Natividad and Ruperta (Fernandez) Razo. He married Esther Patricia Delgado on October 22, 1949 at St. Mary's Cathedral in Peoria, IL. They were married for 71 years.
He is survived by his wife Esther and five children, Rebecca Layman of Peoria; Steven (Ann) Razo of Cheyenne, WY; Thomas Razo of Vancouver, Washington; Cynthia Razo of Peoria; and Jeanette Anguita of Mascoutah, IL. Nine grandchildren, Jeremy (Amber), Jamie, Jesse, and Joseph Layman; Thomas Jr and Wesley Razo; Nicole (Curt) Curtis; Paul (Janina) and Christopher Anguita; five great-grandchildren, Austin Layman, Mia Razo, Cole and Dylan Curtis, Anabela Anguita, and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; one sister Carmen Herron and four brothers, Salvador, Frank, Richard and David Razo.
John was a WWII veteran serving as an aircraft mechanic working on P-38 Lightening airplanes. He was assigned to the 429th Fighter Squadron "The Retail Gang", 474th Air Group, 9th Army Air Force. He was stationed in England, France, Belgium and Germany.
Upon returning to Peoria, John was a masseuse, a hairdresser, and insurance agent, and then worked at Letourneau Westinghouse/WABCO/ Komatsu as a Dispatcher until retiring on Feb 1, 1986 with 24 years of service. He was a loving and devoted father, grandfather and great-grandfather. He was a former member of the River City Cloggers and performed at many local events. He was an avid Cubs fan and an active member of the former VFW Post Number 814 in Peoria. In June 2013, he was one of many veterans that was on the first Greater Peoria Honor Flight.
The family would like to thank a special group of people that helped care for John for the last six months. Tom, Deacon John, Julia, Tiffany and Heather of OSF Hospice First; Bonnie of Help at Home; and Cynthia of Comfort Keepers.
Cremation rights have been accorded and services will be held on Saturday, November 7, 2020 at 3:00 pm with visitation one hour prior to the service at Davison-Fulton Woolsey-Wilton Funeral Home in Peoria. Monsignor Jason Gray will officiate. A private burial of the urn will be held at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Greater Peoria Honor Flight, P.O. Box 5072, Peoria, IL 61601, (309) 397-6975. Online condolences can be submitted to www.woolsey-wilton.com.
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Greater Peoria Honor Flight, P.O. Box 5072, Peoria, IL 61601, (309) 397-6975
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