Obituary for Lazarus "George" Lastres
Lazarus “George” Lastres, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family in Brandon, Florida on February 27, 2021 from complications of pneumonia.
George was born in Key West, FL on January 26, 1936 and was one of six brothers and three sisters. He lived in Key West through his high school years attending Key West High School where he was the star pitcher on the baseball team, The Conchs, where he still holds the record for Most Career Wins (37)1952-54 and Most Wins in a Season (16) in 1953. In 1954, he signed with the New York Giants farm team and played professional baseball as a pitcher for four years until he was sidelined by a shoulder injury. Team-mates included Willie McCovey, Orlando Copeda, Felipe Alou, Jose Pagan and Jim Davenport. George proudly joined the US Army for two years and then settled into a life on the Key West Police force where he faithfully served the citizens of Key West for 27 years, retiring as a Captain of detectives in 1988. During this time, he married the love of his life, Ponnie, in 1974 and they had a daughter, Amber, in 1976. In 2001, the family moved to Orlando, where he worked as a security guard. When the family relocated to Brandon, George once again worked as a security guard until he retired at the age of 80. He was a talented singer and loved music of every style and genre. He performed with the singing group “The Embers” and the cover band “Sounds Familiar” in Key West. In 2011 and 2012, he competed in the local Brandon Idol which raised money for charity. He wrote two songs that were both recorded by his good friend, and Key West legend, Lofton “Coffee” Butler. The songs are “Japanese Sandman” and “Take It Easy, Take It Slow”, which became a life motto for George. (You can listen and download here: https://lazaruslastres.bandcamp.com/music)
George was kind and funny and had a joke for every occasion. He was generous beyond measure and could always be counted on to help anyone, in any way that he could. He faithfully prayed for his family, friends and country and had a lifelong faith in God that sustained him to his last breath. Lazarus Lastres is preceded in death by his parents, Aurelio and Maria Lastres; and his brothers, Aurelio “Crip” Jr., Gabriel, Danilo “Danny”, Adolph “Fito”, Robert “Bobby”; sisters, Louise Allen and Christina “Mina” Malapolski; step-daughter, Cindy Shanklin. Lazarus “George” Lastres is survived by his wife, Beatrice “Ponnie” Lastres; Sister, Elda Kaminski; daughter, Amber Proctor (Jason); step-son Brian Tritapoe (Megan); grandson, Richard Lastres; and numerous step-grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
Celebration of Life for Lazarus “George” Lastres will be held at 2 P.M. on Saturday, March 6, 2021 at Southern Funeral Care, 10510 Riverview Dr, Riverview, FL 33578
With the family receiving friends 30 minutes prior. Masks are required for people attending in person and due to space limitations, guests wishing to attend must RSVP directly with the family. For those of you who are unable to attend for health reasons or travel restrictions, the service will be livestreamed on George’s Facebook page (Lazarus Lastres) at 2:00 pm (Eastern Time) at https://www.facebook.com/lazarus.lastres.7
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George was born in Key West, FL on January 26, 1936 and was one of six brothers and three sisters. He lived in Key West through his high school years attending Key West High School where he was the star pitcher on the baseball team, The Conchs, where he still holds the record for Most Career Wins (37)1952-54 and Most Wins in a Season (16) in 1953. In 1954, he signed with the New York Giants farm team and played professional baseball as a pitcher for four years until he was sidelined by a shoulder injury. Team-mates included Willie McCovey, Orlando Copeda, Felipe Alou, Jose Pagan and Jim Davenport. George proudly joined the US Army for two years and then settled into a life on the Key West Police force where he faithfully served the citizens of Key West for 27 years, retiring as a Captain of detectives in 1988. During this time, he married the love of his life, Ponnie, in 1974 and they had a daughter, Amber, in 1976. In 2001, the family moved to Orlando, where he worked as a security guard. When the family relocated to Brandon, George once again worked as a security guard until he retired at the age of 80. He was a talented singer and loved music of every style and genre. He performed with the singing group “The Embers” and the cover band “Sounds Familiar” in Key West. In 2011 and 2012, he competed in the local Brandon Idol which raised money for charity. He wrote two songs that were both recorded by his good friend, and Key West legend, Lofton “Coffee” Butler. The songs are “Japanese Sandman” and “Take It Easy, Take It Slow”, which became a life motto for George. (You can listen and download here: https://lazaruslastres.bandcamp.com/music)
George was kind and funny and had a joke for every occasion. He was generous beyond measure and could always be counted on to help anyone, in any way that he could. He faithfully prayed for his family, friends and country and had a lifelong faith in God that sustained him to his last breath. Lazarus Lastres is preceded in death by his parents, Aurelio and Maria Lastres; and his brothers, Aurelio “Crip” Jr., Gabriel, Danilo “Danny”, Adolph “Fito”, Robert “Bobby”; sisters, Louise Allen and Christina “Mina” Malapolski; step-daughter, Cindy Shanklin. Lazarus “George” Lastres is survived by his wife, Beatrice “Ponnie” Lastres; Sister, Elda Kaminski; daughter, Amber Proctor (Jason); step-son Brian Tritapoe (Megan); grandson, Richard Lastres; and numerous step-grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
Celebration of Life for Lazarus “George” Lastres will be held at 2 P.M. on Saturday, March 6, 2021 at Southern Funeral Care, 10510 Riverview Dr, Riverview, FL 33578
With the family receiving friends 30 minutes prior. Masks are required for people attending in person and due to space limitations, guests wishing to attend must RSVP directly with the family. For those of you who are unable to attend for health reasons or travel restrictions, the service will be livestreamed on George’s Facebook page (Lazarus Lastres) at 2:00 pm (Eastern Time) at https://www.facebook.com/lazarus.lastres.7
Previous Events
Celebration of Life Service
Saturday
6
Mar
2:00 PM
Southern Funeral Care and Cremation Services, Inc.
10510 Riverview Drive
Riverview, FL 33578
The Family will be receiving friends 30 minutes prior to the Service.
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