Boris Radojicic Obituary

Their union produced two children, Dragan (born 1976) and Natalija (born 1981). As a father, Boris was strict but never cold. He taught his son how to fix a carburetor and his daughter how to lay a brick wall, believing that “no skill is wasted on any person.” Every Sunday, regardless of the weather, the family gathered for lunch at his mother’s table—a tradition that continued for fifty years.

Yet, in the face of horror, Boris exhibited a humanitarian courage that defined his legacy. He helped organize a secret network of neighbors to distribute food and medicine to elderly Serbs, Croats, Bosniaks, and Hungarians alike, sheltering two displaced families in his own basement for three months. He never spoke of this publicly, and it is only in this obituary that his family has chosen to reveal it. “Blood is red for all people,” he once told his son. “Don’t let anyone tell you differently.” After retiring in 2005, Boris dedicated himself to his garden, his apiary (beekeeping became his great passion), and his three grandchildren: Lazar, Ana, and Mila. He taught them to fish in the canal near his summer cottage, to make slatko (fruit preserves), and to respect the land. boris radojicic obituary

To read the name “Boris Radojicic” in an obituary is to mark the end of a generation that bridged the old Yugoslavia and the modern, fragmented Balkans. He was not a celebrity, nor a politician, nor a titan of industry. Instead, Boris was something rarer: a pillar of his community, a man whose name was synonymous with trust, hard work, and an unbreakable bond to his family and his heritage. Born on March 12, 1945, in the small village of Srbobran, Boris came into the world just as the Second World War was drawing to a close. He was the first child of Mihailo and Jovanka Radojicic, both teachers who instilled in him a love for literature and the principles of časnost (honesty) and drugarstvo (comradeship). Growing up in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Boris witnessed the nation’s hopeful reconstruction from the ashes of war. Their union produced two children, Dragan (born 1976)

After graduating in 1969, Boris worked on several major infrastructure projects across Vojvodina, including the renovation of the Liberty Bridge and the development of flood control systems along the Danube. Colleagues remember him as the last man to leave the worksite, the one who refused to sign off on a project until every bolt was tightened and every measurement was triple-checked. In an era of rushed socialist deadlines, Boris Radojicic’s projects were legendary for never failing. In 1972, Boris met the love of his life, Milena Petrović, at a traditional kolo dance in the city square. Their courtship was slow and deliberate, much like Boris himself. They married in 1974 in a simple ceremony at the Church of the Great Martyr George. Yet, in the face of horror, Boris exhibited