The long time extraordinary Croatian American activist Anne Pavlich passed away peacefully in her home in Bethesda, Maryland on November 11, 2016. I must say upfront that she was a special friend of mine for 39 years.
I knew firsthand that this 92 year old lived such a dedicated and active life within the Croatian American community and one could say we just lost our guardian angel in the Washington, D.C. area. Also, she was very involved nationally with Croatian Fraternal Union and the Croatian Academy of America. She was an officer with the National Federation of Croatian Americans (NFCA) for twenty years and the national treasurer of this umbrella group, too for ten years. She was the Croatian American representative to U.S. Catholic Bishop’s conference for over twenty years. Anne traveled to Croatia over twenty-five times and hosted Croatians in her Maryland home nearly a thousand times over the last forty-five years.
“Anne did so very much for so many Croatian causes and for the Croatian Fraternal Union, the NFCA and within the global Croatian Catholic priests and religious network and she will be sorely missed in our community, “ said National President of the Croatian Fraternal Union, Ed Pazo in Pittsburgh.
It was so fitting that Croatian American priest Father Maurus Dolcich said a special Memorial Mass for her. He eulogized “Ankica” and recited so many tangible ways that she served the community without any fanfare. The Sunday gospel and Father Dolcich’s sermon about the significance of how we all shall seek to better serve our community was a fitting tribute to Anne Pavlich.
(The author, Tony Dizdar and Eric Gregrich at the Anne Pavlich Memorial Service.)
Dr. Steven Pavletic, Vice President of the Association of Croatian American Professionals also shared that, “The strength of the showing at the Memorial Mass speaks vividly of Ankica and what she had invested in our community over the years and Ankica was the best role model that giving is better then receiving as Father Dolcich preached on Sunday.”
She was born in South St. Paul, MN, the daughter of the late Frank and Barbara Pavlich. Her Minnesota hometown just happened to have the most active Croatian hall in the state. She graduated from South St. Paul High School in 1941, St. Mary’s School of Nursing in Rochester, MN, and the University of Minnesota with degrees in Public Health Nursing and Nursing Administration.
Anne was employed at the American Red Cross in Los Angeles and Minneapolis, Department of Health, Minneapolis and the US Public Health Service in Washington, DC and in Cincinnati, Ohio. She joined the US Consumer Product Safety Commission in Bethesda, MD from where she retired in 1992 as a Consumer Education Specialist. She was also, a member of the American Nurses Association, National League for Nursing, Croatian Fraternal Union, Minnesota State Society and the University of Minnesota Alumni Association.
The Memorial service was held in her name at the Croatian Pastoral Mission, 4835 MacArthur Blvd. NW, Washington, DC 20007 on Sunday, November 13, 2016. There will be a funeral and a burial service in Minnesota later this month.
