Obituaries : Roman Lasky; Fillmore Resident, Texaco Retiree

Roman G. Lasky, an avid gardener and longtime Fillmore resident, died Saturday following a stroke. He was 81.

Born in Freeman, S.D., Lasky moved with his family to Orange County when he was 7. He graduated from Fullerton High School in 1933. He worked for Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. in San Pedro, where he became a foreman. He then took a job with Texaco and moved to Fillmore. He retired as the assistant Pacific Coast pipelines foreman.

A widower, he married his second wife, Carolyn, in 1972 and retired. But he soon found part-time employment as a salesman for Apco, an irrigation supplies store formerly located in Fillmore.

“He had to be busy,” Carolyn said. “He loved working.”

When he wasn’t playing golf, Lasky spent much of his free time growing roses and vegetables. A plaque above his kitchen table read: “The kiss of the sun for pardon, the song of the birds for mirth, one is nearer to God’s heart in a garden than anywhere else.”

“He loved his garden, the earth and Mother Nature,” Carolyn said. “He was a very kind and gentle man.”

Lasky is also survived by his son, Leroy, of Exeter, stepdaughters Linda Edmonds of Fillmore and Roberta Pruett of Santa Paula, and nine grandchildren.

A service is planned for Wednesday at 1 p.m. at the Skillin Carroll Mortuary chapel in Fillmore.