Austris “Oz” Polis

Austris “Oz” Polis, 84, of Crystal Lake, IL, passed away peacefully on August 12, 2023.

He is survived by his son Mark (Erin) Polis and granddaughters Maya and Hazel of Lake in the Hills, IL, as well as many loved ones and friends. He was preceded in death by his wife Barbara (Guettel) Polis, his parents Edgar and Velta Polis, and his brother, Oscar Polis.

Oz was born in Tukums, Latvia, in 1939. After fleeing Latvia during World War II, he ended up in a displaced persons camp in Germany and eventually made his way to the United States, residing in Kentucky. His family moved from Kentucky to Woodstock, Illinois. He graduated from Woodstock High Schooland then attended the Milwaukee School of Engineering.

In 1961, Oz became a U.S. citizen. He was a proud veteran of the United States Army. After his military service he worked for USG Corporation and Underwriters Laboratories as an engineer in fire protection. He finally retired at age 70 but still enjoyed meeting up with his coworkers and friends and felt like one of the “young guys”.

He enjoyed learning about World War II history and Latvian history, watching documentaries and science fiction movies, and reading. He loved to travel and enjoyed showing his son and daughter-in-law where he was born on a trip to Latvia in 2007.

He loved to eat out and was a regular at many local restaurants, where he knew the owners and staff by name and felt like family.

Visitation will be Saturday, August 19, from 9am – 1pm at Davenport Family Funeral Home, 419 E. Terra Cotta Ave. (Rte. 176), Crystal Lake.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the American Cancer Society, www.cancer.org