It is with deep sadness we announce the death of John George Zoretich who passed away on Friday July 20, 2018 at the Flin Flon General Hospital at the age of 94.
John was born on September 15, 1923 in the Croatian village of Dolniji Ostrc to parents Matthew and Helen Zoretich. John’s father left the family in 1929 to come to Canada in search of work. In February of 1938 John, his mother, and younger sister Mary came to Canada to join Matthew who had settled in Flin Flon. John would recall those days talking about the long trip across the Atlantic Ocean from France to Nova Scotia and then eventually arriving in Flin Flon in extremely cold conditions with only a light jacket and a pair of shoes not fit for a Northern Manitoba winter.
John was enrolled in the Flin Flon School Division but because he could not speak English he was sent back to Grade 1 even though he was in Grade 8 in Croatia. He picked up the English language quickly and was able to skip some grades. John was an excellent student and graduated from Hapnot Collegiate but unfortunately the family was unable to afford to send him to university. While in high school John started working at Western Grocers to help out the family and stayed there for many years. Not long after graduation John, despite weighing only 105 pounds, was able to land a job at H,B,M & S. He eventually ended up in the powerhouse and completed his first and second degree power engineering courses. John retired September 15, 1988 after 41 years.
On August 6, 1973 John married Milicia Svarc and they spent more than 26 happy years together before her passing on April 13, 2000. They were quite a couple who loved to go dancing and even more so fishing. For a guy that was allergic to fish John spent a lot of time going after the big one. When he got tired from fishing on shore he bought a boat shortly before his 62nd birthday. The two then spent many summer nights fishing mainly at Neso Lake. One of John’s favourite fishing stories was the time out at Neso with his nephew Scott. John was dangling his hook about three inches above the water when a pickerel jumped right up out of the water and bit his hook! He was proud of the fact that he could catch a fish without even putting his hook in the water, but at the same time frustrated that no one believed his story!
John was an extremely generous man with his time and money. He spent time on the boards of the Flin Flon Credit Union and the North of 53 Co-op. He also spent many years volunteering his time for the Canadian Cancer Society. In 1983 he received the Certificate of Merit for Volunteers from the Manitoba division of the Canadian Cancer Society. He was a proud 4th degree member of the Knights of Columbus and was a longtime supporter of St. Ann’s Catholic Church. He studied income tax laws and for many years did the taxes for several people in the community. In fact John did his own taxes every year by hand and continued to do so until his passing, something he was quite proud of. In 1990 he was honored by the federal government for his contribution to Revenue Canada’s Taxation Volunteer Program.
John was a great story teller often recalling his days as a youth in Croatia right through his working days. He had an infectious sense of humour. John loved to laugh and make people laugh. Despite being confined to his home for the past few years John was still razor sharp and loved nothing more than someone coming over for a visit.
John was predeceased by his parents Helen in 1971 and Matthew in 1976, sister Barbara in 1927, Brother Matthew in 1946, brother Frank in 2000, sister Mary in 2008 sister Anne in 2013 and son-in-law Danny Halliwell in 2013. He is survived by his stepchildren; Gina Halliwell, George Svarc, and Myra (Gary) Gauvreau; 5 grandchildren, 6 great grandchildren; one sister Katie (Gib) Cyr as well as many nephews and nieces.
Funeral services will be held on Saturday September 15, 2018 at St. Ann’s Roman Catholic Church at 11:00 AM with Father Paul Bringleson as celebrant. Dadson Funeral Home is entrusted with the arrangements.
Thank you
John’s family would like to thank the nurses on the 3rd floor for their compassion and care during his time in the hospital and a special thanks to the Homecare nurses and workers who became like family to John. He always appreciated the workers who took the time to talk with him. It meant a lot to him.
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