Bryan James Grelyak

1965 - 2024

Bryan James Grelyak
Born: April 16, 1965 in Chicago, IL
Died: April 10, 2024 in Harvard, IL
Bryan James Grelyak, age 58, of Harvard, Illinois, passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday, April 10, 2024, due to a sudden cardiac event.
Bryan was born April 16, 1965, to Kenneth James Grelyak and Donna Marie Hartung in Chicago,
Illinois. He married Cheri Cooper on October 4, 2003, in Pell Lake, Wisconsin.
In life, Bryan was a self-employed farmer and excavator. He had an outstanding work ethic and was meticulous in all he did. He was a man of many talents and could fix anything. In his youth he raced motocross for 10 years and enjoyed taking his custom monster truck "Radical Taz" to shows. He enjoyed building custom hot-rods, doing restoration of old vehicles, and especially passionate about drag racing with his 55 Chevy.
Bryan was a good friend to many and had a young fun-loving spirit, so the more he teased you the more it meant he liked you. Friends and family meant everything to him. He especially enjoyed meeting his farmer buddies at Kelly's Restaurant for breakfast, and loved all of the time he spent with his family and friends. He will be greatly missed by all.
Survivors include his loving wife and best friend Cheri, mother Donna, brother Jeff and wife Alicia, aunts Lee Ann Calcagno and Farol Tomsovic, father-in-law and mother-in-law Donald and Jean Cooper, brothers-in-law Robert (Bonnie) Cooper and Michael (Teresa) Cooper, nieces, and nephews Jeremy Grelyak, Javan Rodgers, Asha Billstrand, Kira (Gregg) Petersen, Kayla (Samuel) Kagel, Lily Cooper, and great nephews Wade Petersen and Regan Kagel, many cousins and his four legged friend Dozer.
He was preceded in death by his dad Kenneth, maternal grandparents Virginia and Charles Hartung, paternal grandparents Violet and Wendelin Grelyak, and several aunts and uncles.
There will be a Celebration of Life held at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the American Diabetes Association or to your favorite animal shelter or rescue.
Bryan lived by the famous quote by Abraham Lincoln:
And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count, it's the life in your years.
Family and friends may sign the online guest book at www.saundersmcfarlin.net
Call Saunders & McFarlin Funeral Home for more information at 815-943-5400.