Matt Lara

Matt Lara, 50, of Fort Dodge passed away Saturday, January 3, 2026 at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics In Iowa City. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 AM on Saturday, January 10th at Holy Trinity Church. Burial will follow at Corpus Christi Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 4:00 to 8:00 PM on Friday at Lauferweiler Funeral Home. The family encourages everyone to wear their favorite Dodgers, Iowa Hawkeye or Raiders gear.

Survivors include his wife Jadie of Fort Dodge, children Tyrnan Lara of Fort Dodge, Lydia Lara of Fort Dodge, Rylan Lara of Fort Dodge, and Emersyn Lara of Fort Dodge, mother Diane Roby of Fort Dodge, brother Mark (Katie) Lara of Fort Dodge, sister Jolinn (Jeremy) Lara-Price of Fort Dodge, a host of uncles, aunts, nieces, nephews, and cousins, and his beloved dog Cruz.

He was preceded by his father Paul Lara in 2014, grandparents Timo and Lupe Lara, and grandmother Joan Blunt.

Matthew Paul Lara was born on February 4, 1975 in Fort Dodge. He was raised and educated here and graduated from Fort Dodge Senior High School in 1993 where he excelled at football and baseball. Following his graduation, he worked at Martin Marietta for several years and then the Union Pacific Railroad. On August 21, 2004 he was united in marriage to Jadie Wastun and the couple made their home in Fort Dodge. Matt worked for Pepsi from 2000 to 2014. In 2015, he went to work at the City of Fort Dodge with the Parks and Recreation department, until recently when he went back to work at Pepsi. Matt was an avid sports fan who enjoyed cheering for his favorite teams, the LV Raiders, Iowa Hawkeye and Notre Dame Football teams, and the Atlanta Braves. He loved his family fiercely and always made a point to attend to all their school events and activities. Matt could be found on the 3rd baseline with his sweat rag cheering on his kids and the Dodgers. He was so very proud of his children whom he loved with all his heart. Memorials may be left to the discretion of the family.