MOKENA, IL – It is with a heavy heart that the Ozinga Company of Mokena, IL announced the sudden passing of Martin (Marty) Ozinga III, the company’s Chairman of the Board, Monday morning. Mr. Ozinga was 71 years old.
Marty Ozinga IV, Ozinga CEO, issued the following statement: “It is with deep sadness that we inform you of the passing of our dad, Marty Ozinga III. He passed away suddenly this morning [the 26th] at his home. Dad was loved by many, including his family, his coworkers, customers and friends in the community. Please keep the Ozinga family in your thoughts and prayers.”
Not included in the Ozinga Company's press release was the exemplary generosity Marty III and his family demonstrated over the years towards the Christian community, especially in Chicago's southwest suburbs. Under Marty III's direction, the company poured concrete foundations for and financially supported numerous churches, schools and colleges, and causes as well.
Among his numerous charitable services over the years, Ozinga served on Illinois' United Republican Fund board and as its chairman in the mid-2000s. He himself ran an unsuccessful campaign in 2008 to unseat Congresswoman Debbie Halverson (D) in Illinois' 11th CD. One of his sons, Timothy, was elected to the Illinois House in 2020.
Marty III most recently served as the Chairman of the Board of Ozinga, a fourth-generation family business.
He began working for Ozinga at age 15 as a $1-per-hour laborer in the company’s first yard in Evergreen Park. By 18, he was driving a ready-mix concrete truck for union wages while earning a degree in psychology at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, MI. He became general manager in 1973 at age 23 and, in 1985, succeeded his father as president of Ozinga.
Marty, along with his cousins Rich and Jim, led the business through a period of tremendous growth, including expansion into the downtown Chicago market where Ozinga supplied concrete for high-profile projects such as the construction of the new Comiskey Park (now Guaranteed Rate Field), the renovation of Soldier Field, and the production of more than 250,000 cubic yards of concrete for the Dan Ryan Expressway. Through acquisition, Ozinga also expanded the company to much of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana.
Marty continued the legacy established by his father, seeking to steward the business to the honor and glory of God, treating coworkers with care and respect and generously giving of his time and resources to causes that helped those less fortunate in local communities and abroad.
Marty was married to his wife Ruth for 40 years until her passing in 2010. Together, they raised their six sons.
In 2012, Marty III handed over the operations of the family business to his six sons and their cousin Jeff, representing the fourth generation of Ozinga ownership.
Ozinga currently has over 2,000 coworkers, primarily in operations in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan and Florida.
Marty is survived by his wife Melissa, his six sons, their wives, and twenty-nine grandchildren. He was a dear brother of the late Ken (Judy) Ozinga and Beverly Ozinga, brother-in-law of the late Theodore (Niki) Gombis and Dr Leon (Kathryn) Gombis and a fond uncle of many nieces and nephews.
