Vinko Bozanich passed away on Friday, October 27, 2017 at 79 years of age. He is survived by his loving-family; wife Edith, children Kathy, Glen, Lana , his brother Dragan (Bozena) and their daughters who will miss him greatly but are happy for all his love and guidance. Vinko was born in Komiza, Croatia. He came to Canada on October 17, 1956 and arrived in Halifax Canada at Pier 21 on April 29, 1957. He was the best and happiest at being a husband, father and friend. His brother, Dragan and his family followed a few years later. Dragan arrived September 21/77 and his wife Bozena, daughters Jolana and little Kathy following later.
Vinko worked at Weyerhaeuser for over 30 years. The picture in the newspaper shows Vinko grabbing the first bale coming off the conveyor belt. He and Edith drove across the country when he retired at 60. They loaded up the trailer and off they went for 3 months! Vinko loved hunting, fishing, his garden, working on cars and playing cards regularly while having coffee with “the boys” after he retired. He was phenomenal with remembering dates and figures. He could tell you exactly what date and year he would catch a moose/deer. Vinko was always willing to help others and fix your car. He really knew his stuff and had enough tools to put your garage mechanic to shame!
Neighbourhood kids would come knocking on his door with a soccer ball asking “can Vinko come out and play.” We will miss his familiar phrases such as “it must jelly cause’ jam doesn’t wiggle like this”, as he shook his tummy. In lieu of flowers please make a donation to the BC Cancer Society (Foundation), Suite 600 – 686 West Broadway, Vancouver, B.C. V5Z 1G1.
The Funeral Service will be held at 2:00 pm on Tuesday, October 31, 2017 in the Kamloops Funeral Home Chapel, 285 Fortune Dr., with Natasha Schrader, Celebrant. Vinko will be laid to rest at Hillside Cemetery in a private burial.
2 Tributes
Vinko was such a wonderful man. Kind, generous, thoughtful, funny, skilled. Even though I last saw him just 2 shorts months ago, I was not prepared for his passing. He always struck me as indestructible.
My first recollection of Vinko was at my father’s funeral in 1969. He was introduced as my mother’s cousin from Canada who had originally come from Komiža. He was very friendly and welcoming of my bride of 8 weeks, who was meeting the members of my extended family for the first time. (We lived in the Boston area and had been married in Chicago so only members of my immediate family had attended our wedding.) At that time, I was pretty clueless about my family’s history other than to know that my dad was from Splitska and that my mom’s family came from Komiža.
My next encounter with Vinko came in the form of my mom telling me about how he was with her on her very first trip to the “old country”, as they called it, in 1975. On that trip, she visited the mainly abandoned village of Oključna where both of her parents came from. At that time, there was a semi-paved road to where the village began. To get to the rest of the village you had to travel on foot or ride a donkey which was how my mother went with Vinko guiding the donkey. From that point forward, my mom would tell me stories of her visits to Vinko’s home in Kamloops and of another trip she made to Yugoslavia with Vinko. I learned about Vinko the outdoorsman, the hunter, the fisherman, and the traveling camper.
Having been bitten by the genealogical bug in 1996, I started regularly communicating with Vinko trying to get information about life in the old country. After my mother’s passing in July of 1999, I continued to communicate with Vinko sporadically. And then, in 2003 my wife and I sat with Vinko and Dragan and their wives at my niece Kim’s wedding. From that time forward Vinko and I were regular phone companions. We talked about everything from fishing and camping to life in Croatia. Finally in 2010, Erica and I were in the Northwest for a school reunion, and we made our first visit to Kamloops where we stayed with Vinko and Edith for a few days. It was a wonderful time and they were wonderful hosts. Together we drove to Dragan & Bozena’s home and had a wonderful visit there as well. Our phone correspondence intensified and I grew to know and love him like the older cousin that he was.
And then again this past August, I drove up to visit with Vinko and Edith and with Dragan and Bozena. He complained about a belly ache. I, like everyone else, advised him to see a doctor and get his problem diagnosed with testing. When I left, he stubbornly did not do so. I spoke to him a couple of weeks later, and then no more until I heard of his passing last Friday.
Vinko was a good man, a “mensch” as the
Jews would say, a “dobro čovek” as the Croatians would say. He was a family man who loved his family dearly. He was an outdoorsman who loved fishing, hunting, and camping. He loved gardening. And he excelled in the skills of all of those avocations. He was stubborn, yet reasonable. He loved to play cribbage with the “boys. He loved regaling his friends with stories of his past and of his adventures.
I was privileged to have played a small part in his life. I will truly miss him.
Dear Edith, Katrina and family………….I was so sad and shocked to here of Vinkos passing last month. I was a out of town attending a family funeral and didn’t hear the news until after his death. He was a good hard working man and I’m sure he will be missed! Thinking of you Edith and my sympathy to all of the family!