Demetrio G Salazar

Demetrio G. Salazar

On August 21st, 2026, the Lord called his son, Demetrio G. Salazar (the original “Sal”), home to live in Heaven for all of eternity. He was 86 years old. While our family will never be the same without our patriarch, we find peace knowing that he has been reunited with his love, his life, his everything-Verna-and they are continuing their journey of everlasting love and life together.

Demetrio was born in LaBarca, Mexico, on August 17th, 1940, to Demetrio Gonzalez & Petra Salazar. He was the youngest of twelve children and was proud of his Mexican heritage. However, he was even more proud to be an American and considered himself incredibly blessed to live in a country where he could pursue all of his dreams. Demetrio grew up in LaSalle, planted roots, married and raised a family, served as an Alderman and head of the Civil Defense, and lived and died there. He loved and believed in LaSalle and always considered it home.

He graduated from LaSalle-Peru Township High School with the class of 1958. That same year, on June 21st, he married his best friend and love of his life, Verna Bracey. Together, they were blessed with five wonderful children whom they were both incredibly proud to call their own.

Education is something that Demetrio valued. He attended college at LPO, IVCC, and the University of Wisconsin. He set an example for his children to follow and was profoundly proud of the fact that his children went on to collectively earn five bachelor’s degrees, four master’s degrees, and one doctorate degree.

Hard work was another thing that he valued. Over the years, he had many jobs because he firmly believed that hard work paid off in the end. There were times in his life when he held three jobs at one time-all in an attempt to fulfill his dreams and be an example to his family.

He retired from Caterpillar when he was 53 years old and then went on to work and retire from the LaSalle Wastewater & Treatment Plant. However, retirement didn’t stop him from working. He worked as a counselor’s aide at Aurora East High School and taught vocational classes at Waubonsee Junior College. In recent years, you may have seen him bagging groceries at Hy-Vee or parking cars at St. Margaret’s Hospital because he simply couldn’t see himself not working and loved being around people.

When he had time to relax, he loved taking vacations with his family, attending his children’s, grandchildren’s, and great-grandchildren’s various sporting and musical events, and simply spending time with his wife, sitting on the back porch or watching country westerns and the Chicago Bears.

Demetrio was a Golden Glove Champion in boxing and was inducted into the Illinois Boxing Hall of Fame. He was well known for his talent and boxing style. Although he loved being a boxer and watching sports on TV, his favorite sports to watch were the ones that his family participated in throughout their lives.

He was a baseball and basketball coach at various times in his life-always for his children’s teams-and as his family grew and his children had children and his children’s children had children, he loved getting a spot on the bleachers and being their number one fan. As president of North Central boys’ basketball, he also implemented the first girls’ basketball program in the area because he believed that his daughters deserved the same opportunities as his sons in life. At St. Patrick’s School, he started the boys fifth and sixth grade basketball program.

His faith in the Lord was unshakeable and steadfast. He was a lifelong member of St. Patrick’s Church in LaSalle, where he served as a Eucharistic Minister and was also part of the Funeral Choir. His faith transcended into every area of his life, and he truly lived every single day with one goal in mind-to honor the Lord.

Jesus taught him to live sacrificially, and he did that through the way he cared for others. He was the type of person who would do anything to help those he loved and even those he didn’t know. His grace, humility, hard work, and love gave his family a glimpse of what it meant to be a true believer.

He had many other accomplishments in his life, ranging from being a Democratic representative for LaSalle, to being on the board of IVCIL, to being on the Board of Directors at the Caterpillar Credit Union, to being an interpreter for LaSalle County Courts.

He surely leaves behind a legacy for his family to follow and his story is one that will be remembered for generations to come. He went from having nothing to having everything that his dreams were made of by keeping his eyes on the Lord and pushing forward, no matter what life brought him. He was a true survivor.

Demetrio is survived by four children, Demi (Annette) Salazar of Princeton, Angela (Frank) Zupancic of Dunlap, Petrita Salazar of LaSalle, and Dr. Brent (Kelley) Salazar of Dallas; Daughter-in-law Sandy Salazar of LaSalle; twelve grandchildren: Jennifer (Troy) Hubbard of Princeton, Nico (Jen) Salazar of Oglesby, Chris (Jayme) Salazar of Oglesby, Isaac (Amanda) Salazar of Tonica, Frank (Aimee) Zupancic of Dunlap, Steven Zupancic of Peoria, Nicole Salazar of LaSalle, Terry Milby of Peru, Brianna (Danny) Konczak of LaSalle, Brittany Salazar of LaSalle, Logan Salazar of Dallas, and Rowan Salazar of Dallas; and seventeen great-grandchildren.

He is also survived by his siblings, Jessica Zalazar and John Salazar, as well as many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 56 years, Verna; his son, R.J. (Sandy) Salazar of LaSalle; nine siblings; and one grandson, Tommy Milby.

A memorial visitation will be held from 1:00 PM until time of service at 3:00 PM in the Ptak Funeral Home in Peru with Fr. Paul Carlson officiating. Burial will be in The Union Cemetery in Ohio, IL following the services.

Cremation rites have been accorded.

In lieu of flowers donation may be made to the American Cancer Society.

Ptak Funeral Home has been entrusted with the arrangements. Your condolences and memories may be shared at PtakFH.com.