More detail on this person: Frank Vela Frank Vela NewsTribune (La Salle, IL) - Tuesday, April 17, 2001 Frank Vela Frank L. Vela, 53, of 1034 Fifth St., La Salle died at 4:15 p.m. April 15, 2001, in his home after an extended illness. Funeral Mass will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday in Resurrection Catholic Church in La Salle with the Rev. Dominic Garramone, O.S.B., officiating. Burial will be at St. Vincent Cemetery, La Salle with military services conducted by La Salle-Oglesby Veterans Memorial Group. Visitation will be 5-8 p.m. today and 9:30-10:30 a.m. Wednesday in Hurst Funeral Home, La Salle. Mr. Vela was born in Gary, Ind. on Aug. 30, 1947, to Lucio and Delores (Alvarado) Vela. He had been a mail carrier in La Salle since 1983. Mr. Vela was a captain in the U.S. Army and was a helicopter pilot in Vietnam. He was awarded the Bronze Star, Vietnam Campaign Medal and the Purple Heart. Mr. Vela was a graduate of La Salle-Peru Township High School and St. Patrick Grade School. He was a member of the La Salle VFW, South Bluff Country Club and was an avid bowler. He is survived by his mother, Delores Vela of La Salle; one daughter, Kristen Vela of Mansfield, Ohio; two sons, Demian Vela and Matthew Vela, both of Kansas City, Mo.; a friend, Mary Glover; five sisters, Teresa (Rick) Pavy of La Salle, Rae (Michael) Pavy of La Salle, Christine (Jerry) Happ of Peru, Louise (Don) Rey of Kansas City and Toni (Tim) Ellis of Kansas City; three brothers, Robert (Susan) Vela of Lockport, Stephen Vela of La Salle and Matthew (Susan) Vela of Kansas City. He was preceded in death by his father and an infant brother.
Burial information: Saint Vincent Cemetery, La Salle, IL
This information was last updated 03/04/2021
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Date posted on this site: 03/10/2024
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