Janis (John) Ugis Augenbergs, 80, formerly of Indianapolis, Indiana, passed away on February 23, 2019,
in Farmington Hills, Michigan. He was preceded in death by his parents, Karlis Roberts Augenbergs and
Vera Ieleja. He is survived by his two daughters, Inga (David) Zadvinskis; Ivete (Ezequiel) Larroquette;
three grandsons, Lukas, Nahuel, and Mateo Larroquette; former wife Ilze Berzins; "adopted" daughter
Ilze Sewruk; and many close friends. He is also survived by his first cousin, Karlis Augenbergs, who
was more like a brother, and extended Augenbergs family in Indiana. A special thank you to Richard
Rinaldi for his kindness and friendship, and Andris (Dagnija) Lacis for many great memories.

Janis Ugis Augenbergs was born on September 20th, 1938 in Ergli, Latvia. In his early years, he lived
on his mother's farm. World War II began soon after and Latvia was invaded by Russia and then by
Germany. As the war was ending, his family decided to flee Latvia. Ergli was again invaded by
Russians, thereby blocking the main road, so they fled north to his Godmother's home, Zinaida Lazda, a
famous Latvian author and poet. The Ergli home was destroyed in the battle, so the family made their
way to the port city of Liepaja, Latvia, where they traveled by boat to Germany. The family lived for 5
years in the Esslingen displaced persons (D.P.) camp. Ugis began school at age 7.

In 1949, his family endured a turbulent trip by boat to the United States and they settled in Indiana. Mr.
Augenbergs continued his schooling and at age 11 learned English. He graduated from Arsenal
Technical High School (Indianapolis, IN) in 1957 and then attended Purdue University but had to
interrupt his studies to serve in the U.S. army. He married Ilze Balks (Berzins) on September 7, 1968.
They established their married life in Columbus, Ohio, where Ugis finished his Bachelor of Science
(B.S.) degree at Franklin University in 1971. Later that year, Ugis and Ilze moved to the Detroit metro
area, where they raised their family. In 1981, Ugis earned his Master of Arts (M.A.) degree, with a
major in management, from Central Michigan University.

Ugis worked at several accounting firms and businesses during his career. He helped to establish a
Latvian credit union in Detroit. He was an active member of the St. Paul's Latvian Lutheran Church and
community. He enjoyed singing, Latvian folk dancing, classical music, and watching sports (American
football). His favorite team was the Indianapolis Colts.

Ugis was also an avid golfer and helped establish a Latvian golf tournament in metro Detroit. He was a
strong supporter of "Auseklis," the Detroit area Latvian folk dancing group that participated in several
Latvian song festivals in the United States and Canada. He taught his two daughters how to dance the
Latvian polka. He especially enjoyed spending time with his grandsons, and he valued teaching them
how to speak and read Latvian.

Funeral services will be held at the St. Paul Latvian Lutheran Evangelical Lutheran Church of Detroit,
30623 West 12 Mile Road, Farmington Hills, Michigan, 48334, at 1:00 in the afternoon on March 9th,
2019. In lieu of flowers, those who wish may make a memorial contribution to the Museum of the
Occupation of Latvia. The museum is represented in the USA by the Latvian 50 Year Occupation
Museum Fund Support Group (OMFA).

Checks may be sent to: OMFA, c/o Ilze Resnis, 10930 Nollwood Drive, Chardon, Ohio, 44024.