Obituaries

John Ivan Cekuric

Birth: 1941-11-13 Died: 2023-06-08

Visitation Date:

Visitation Location:

Service Date: Monday, June 26, 2023

Service Time: 11:00 A.M.

Service Location: Gardens of Gethsemani Chapel

Service Address: 15694 - 32 Avenue, Surrey, B.C.

It is with profound sadness that the family of John Ivan Cekuric announce his sudden peaceful passing on June 8, 2023 at the age of 81, as a result of ongoing medical conditions. John was born in Ribari, Croatia on November 13, 1941. John had immigrated to Calgary, AB on October 9, 1959 at the age of 17.  He had lived in Calgary AB, Kimberly BC, Cranbrook BC, Yellowknife NWT, Burnaby BC then finally settling in Surrey BC.  John was a professional painter for most of his life.  He took such pride in every project he completed.  He will be deeply missed and survived by his life partner Maria Basic, daughter Mary (Layne) Sillito; granddaughter Alex (Brad) Fleischhacker, great grandson Aiden and great granddaughter Kory. Grandson Christopher (April) Cekuric, great grandson Janos and Dasen, great granddaughter Layla. Grandson Jordan (Charlotte) Sillito. Sons Walter and Milan Basic; grandchildren Audrey and Niko.  Sister Sylvia Babic; niece Zdenka (Jim) Tucker; great nephew Anthony.  Nephew Ivan (Heather) Babic great nephew Kai.  Cousin David & Jason (Essante) Zrinscak; Izayah and Eliyas John was also blessed to have the love of a very large extended family/friends in Surrey, BC , Calgary, AB, family in Croatia and Germany.  John will now be reunited in heaven with Juliana (wife), Joseph & Barbara Cekuric (Father  & Mother), Mary Zrinscak (cousin), and many close family and friends holding his hand guiding him.  His gift with connecting to people came easy to him.  John always had a welcoming smile, a firm handshake and a huge hug.  A special thank you to Dr. Nordahl and staff, medical staff at Surrey Memorial ICU unit, Reena and pharmacy staff at Fleetwood Safeway.  Services will be held at The Gardens of Gethsemani Catholic Cemetery, 15694 32 Ave., Surrey, BC V3Z 9V1, Canada will be held on Monday, June 26, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. Interment to follow at 12:00pm.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Immaculate Heart of Mary Croatian Parish 3105 1st Avenue East, Vancouver, BC V5M 1B6.


CAPTCHA Image
Reload Image

Date :22 Jun 2023

Tribute :It is immensely sad knowing that John is no longer amongst us, the last years he has been soldiering through a series of health issues, with courage, determination and dignity.We have known Maria and John since 2004 when we moved across the street from their beautiful home, we have been learning a lot of things from them, we always admired their dedication and relentless work towards making their home as beautiful and comfortable as possible. John was a force of nature, a kind, gentle and fair character, a hardworking man also always having a smile on his face and a good word to give to us and to our kids. As years passed by, we became very good friends with Maria and John, we have always been enjoying their company and we are extremely grateful for everything that they did for us and for our kids. We think today of Maria and John as our adoptive parents in Canada, the same way that our kids consider Maria and John as being their grandparents and we hope that God will repay all the many good deeds that John did in his life, while raising and taking care of his family, sometimes – as life is – through difficult circumstances.Some say that God takes one to Heaven at the time when one stands the best chance for one’s salvation. We are expressing our gratitude to all the ones that helped the family through this challenging time, we pray to God that He rests John’s soul in Heaven for the eternity, as well as we pray for God to give strength to Maria and the rest of the family to be able to pass through this terrible time and to, in time, adapt somehow to the new reality of John’s absence.We will never forget you, John, may God rest your soul in Heaven.Ionela, Robert, Patrick and Florin

Florin

Back To Obituaries