Obituary of Miloje Lijeskic
Miloje “Misa” Lijeskic (86) passed away peacefully on the morning of Friday October 26, 2018 at the Charles Dumont hospital in Moncton after facing several recent health-related complications. Having immigrated to Canada in 1967, Misa met the love of his life, Ruby Marie Sperry of Petite Rivière NS, while living in Toronto. Misa was welcomed into the Sperry family by Marshall and Jennie and formed a lifelong bond with his sisters-in-law Ruth, Irene and Maurita, and his brother-in-law Herbert.
Despite having lived through the atrocities of war and starvation in Nazi-occupied Yugoslavia at the tender age of 10, and enduring abhorrent conditions as as a child labourer in a Communist-run foundry at the height of the Cold War, Misa remained focused on overcoming the iniquities of life with sheer drive, determination, and his instinctual can-do approach.
A proud Canadian, Misa always wanted others to have the opportunities in life that he never had. He believed in the importance of knowledge and education as a means of breaking free from adversity, poverty and oppression and would spare no expense to impart these values to his son and openly advocate them to others.
A lover of science and machinery, Misa was a closet engineer and tinkerer who few would have known had been merited for helping design the shocks on the 1964 Beetle while working at Volkswagen in Hannover Germany as a young man.
Misa was known for his generosity and love for children. Despite living a frugal life in Canada as a general contractor, those who knew ‘Uncle Misa’ in their youth would recall his penchant for handing them a few dollars at any opportunity. Those opportunities were increased when Misa was blessed with the arrival of his grandson Logan in 2010; a child whom he adored greatly and fawned over to the very end. Misa be missed by his son, Zarko and daughter-in-law Jo-Ann who reside in Moncton, and his daughters Nada and Lily, in Serbia.. He left an unparalleled legacy of honour, integrity and resiliency. His memory will live on in the hearts and minds of those fortunate enough to have known and loved this great man.
Misa will be laid to rest at the Wesley United Church Cemetery in Petite Rivière, aside his wife Ruby.
