Nikola Knezevic passed away Saturday, January 1, 2022 from heart problems complicated by Covid-19.

He was born on January 2, 1939.  The son of Stevo and Anka from a small town in Former Yugoslavia (now Croatia.) My dad had no memory of his parents who were killed when he was 2 years old. He had a wonderful older brother (Milan) and sister (Bosa.) He spent time at an orphanage/refugee camp before being raised by his cousin Milosh’s parents.

Even though he was raised during a very turbulent time full of civil unrest, he often talked fondly of his upbringing and seemed to have a happy childhood. He enjoyed playing a lot of soccer and was very athletic. He went on complete vocational trade school in woodworking though he always wanted to be an electrician, possibly because one of his favorite heroes was Nikola Tesla.

His brother Milan migrated to the United States and was able to secure a visa for my father. He didn’t have a penny to his name and started working as a cabinet maker. He was offered an opportunity to continue to play soccer for a club team but passed up on the opportunity. He couldn’t speak English and slowly learned the language by watching TV. He worked hard and was good at building cabinets. He quickly received a pay increase and received a lot of praise. To pass the time, he played chess in bars for drinks, and I guess he was pretty good from what I was told.

It was around this time that he started writing my mom and visited her in Croatia. Rather quickly, they developed a relationship and he married her not soon after. She joined him in America. It wasn’t long before they had a house, a car and 2 sons – my brother (Milorad) and me (Stevo.)

Money was tight but somehow my dad always ensured we got by. He was also always there for our family no matter what. One of my happiest memories is New Year’s with my dad. He would let me stay up late and we would watch PBS marathons of Doctor Who – Tom Baker, the “scarf” doctor, became our favorite.

My brother and I were also very active in sports. We would watch baseball, football or tennis and try to replicate the action outside. My dad always had sports on the TV if there was a game on.  We watched the Cubs miss going to the World Series in 1984, Bears win the Super Bowl in 1985 and the Bulls win their string of championships in the 90s. For my brother and I, my dad would always find a way show up at a baseball game or practice. If we were playing outside around the house, my dad wanted to be there and enjoyed that family time playing with his sons. He once told me it was the happiest time of his life.

During work Christmas parties there were times that my mom wasn’t available to go so he’d bring me. It was then that I could see the public side of my father. I could tell that he was reserved but also very funny when he wanted to be. His co-workers seemed to always say nice things about him. I can’t stress enough that people truly appreciated my dad, and he was loved by all. He was a truly a great human being and family man. My mom, brother and I wouldn’t be the people we are today without him.

My dad was in excellent health until he was in his 80s.  The last 3 months were the most difficult on his health, and I’m happy that he is no longer suffering. Happy New Years, Dad. I know that you are watching over us and meeting your parents for the first time.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his older brother, Milan and cousin Milosh.

My dad is survived by his wife, Danica; sons, Stevo (Liz) and Milorad (Adena); sister, Bosa; grandchildren, Noah, Oliver, Natalie, Zofia and Mila; and many cousins, nieces and nephews.

A family visitation announcement will be made for a future date in the next 2 to 3 weeks.