Radosavljevic Vidosava, age 81, passed into eternal life on January 20, 2011. Born on January 27, 1929 in Novska, Yugoslavia to Ilija and Milka Lemajic.
Vidosava is survived by her husband Svetislav; sons Alexander and Branko (Laurence) Radosavljevic; granddaughter Lili Natalija Radosavljevic; sister Nada Lemajic in Belgrade. Vidosava will be sorely missed by cousins Sophie Lemajic and the Krickovic and Milic families, as well as numerous other relatives and friends in her homeland,the USA and Canada. Memory eternal.
Opelo (Serbian Orthodox Funeral Service) Tuesday, January 25, 2011 at 11 a.m. at the Holy Resurrection Serbian Orthodox Cathedral, 5701 N Redwood Drive, Chicago, IL 60631.
Interment at the St. Sava Cemetery in Libertyville.
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Vidosava Lemajic Radosavljevic was born on January 27, 1929 (St. Sava’s Day) in Novska, in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Her parents were Ilija and Milka (Lalic) Lemajic, and she was a proud Licanka (Ilija was from Svrackovo Selo). She had a happy childhood with her loving parents and her beloved little sister Nada. She fondly remembered visiting her cousins on their farms in the surrounding countryside, playing in the snow with Nada, reading with her father and holding his warm hands on walks when it was cold, and learning to sew from her mother. Vida was an excellent student, and the school asked her father to have her skip a grade, but he thought it better if she stayed with her classmates of the same age.
Unfortunately, World War II cast a shadow on their happy lives, and as Serbs living in Croatia, they suffered. Her grandparents were placed in a concentration camp, where one of them died, and her father Ilija, despite saving the family from a similar fate, was murdered in September, 1944.
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Life was tough for her family after losing the main breadwinner, and Vida moved to Belgrade, to a school for children who lost parents in the war. She went on to complete her degree there in pharmacy, and enjoyed going on field trips in the country to study medicinal plants. She loved music, and sang in her college’s glee club, and took advantage of Belgrade’s rich cultural life to attend many concerts and performances (of course, in the upper galleries, where she could afford it!).
Her life took another dramatic turn when her uncle Mile Lemaich, living in the United States, decided to sponsor one of his nieces to come to America. Her family decided to send Vida, and Mile’s family paid for her trip to Chicago in 1957 (by ship over the Atlantic, and by train from New York). They even provided her a chaperone in New York City! Unfortunately, Mile had passed away by this time, and yet the remaining family (aunt Evica, cousin Bob, his wife Sophie, and their children Nicky and Seja) welcomed her into their house like their own daughter. She shared Evica’s bed, and the family treated her to things even they didn’t have for themselves. Vida was always very grateful for their help, and talked about this fondly all her life.
Vida, through a friend, heard of a polite Serbian man living in Gary, Indiana, an immigrant like herself. They met in April, 1958, and married on August 9, 1958. Svetislav (Tisha) Radosavljevic, born in Jelasnica, near Nis, in Serbia, was a prisoner of war in Germany for four years, came to the United States in 1949, and supported himself by working in steel mills while completing his degree in electrical engineering from Purdue University in Lafayette, Indiana (later completing graduate school at the Illinois Institute of Technology while working in industry). They had a wonderful honeymoon, driving down to Miami, Florida and experiencing the South.
Tisha supported Vida as she completed an additional pharmacy degree, from the University of Illinois in Chicago. She was on the dean’s list every semester, and went on to work as a pharmacist at several hospitals in the Chicago area: South Shore, University of Chicago, Michael Reese, and Good Samaritan. She stopped working outside the home for 10 years to have two sons she was very proud of: Alexander (Sasha) in 1963, and Branko in 1968. Sasha went on to complete degrees in English and education from the University of Illinois and Purdue, and worked for many years as a high school teacher in Chicago. He’s currently completing a PhD in math education from the University of Illinois with his loving partner Angela. Branko graduated from high school at age 14 and finished his BS in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois at age
17. He later obtained a master’s degree and is now a software developer for Bank of America Merrill Lynch, and is happily married to Laurence Andrau from the Provence region of southern France. Together they have one five-year-old daughter, Lili Natalija.
In married life, Vida enjoyed music, traveling, and socializing with many good friends. She was a devoted wife and mother: family was always her number one priority. Vida was initially an inexperienced cook, having lived in a rented room in Belgrade, but with the help of Sophie Lemaich recipes, and some experimentation with the eager support of Tisha, she became an expert. Lili Natalija loved her cheese pita! Church life was also important to Vida, and she was a proud member of the Circle of Serbian Sisters for over 50 years. Vida and her family lived in various neighborhoods in Chicago: South Shore, Austin, South Shore again, and Beverly, eventually retiring in the northwest suburbs. Despite the pains of arthritis in her later years, her granddaughter Lili Natalija could always bring a smile to her face!
Vida passed away on her slava, St. John the Baptist. We will always miss her greatly.
Memory eternal.
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For detailed information please contact: SVETA GORA FUNERAL HOME, Chicago, tel 773-588-2200.
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CONDOLENCES
Dejan Radosavljevic (Nis, Srbija)
Sa zakasnjenjem izjavljujem saucesce porodici Svetislava Radosavljevica povodom smrti njegove suoruge Vidosave Radosavljevic. Saucesce izjavi Dejan Radosavljevic iz Nisa unuk Dobrosava i sin Desimira Radosavljevica
Milan Dakich (Merrilville, Indiana)
Dragi Tiso, I was so sorry to hear of Vidosava passing. I have kept you and your family in my thoughts and prayers. I am still at Purdue and miss seeing you there.
Laurence Andrau-Radosavljevic (Chicago, Illinois)
Dear Baka, I love you so much!! WE love you so much!! I miss you so much, too and think of you all the time… You left us too quickly… You will be loved and missed forever…I will never forget all those wonderful moments spent with you…Siting, talking together,reminiscing memories of the past…I feel so proud and honored that you shared those memories with me, sweet Baka..
John Quigley (Willow Springs, Illinois)
All of you will be in my thoughts and prayers. My condolences. John (Troop 607)
Ljiljana Gachich (Glen Ellyn, il)
Tiso, Sasa, Branko, Laurance & Lily, I know it is not easy to let go of loved ones, but Vida is now in a better place. Bog da joj prosti dusu i neka joj je zemlja laka.
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