Mr. Mile Obradovic

Rodjen je 5. septembra 1956 godine u Rogatici.

Majka Milanka rodila ga je u 18-toj godini zivota kad je njegov otac Radomir-Ratko imao 24.

Dvije godine poslije njegovog rodjenja rodila mu se sestra Vesna.

Do svoje 7 godine zivio je na elektrani Mesici gdje mu je otac radio kao elektricar.

Zatim, preselio se u Gorazde gdje mu je otac dobio sluzbu u Elektrodistribuciji Gorazde.

Sa svojih 10 godina vrsio je svoje prve eksperimente sa strujom.

U svojoj 12-toj godini izgubio je majku Milanku.

Gubitkom majke, rano je osjetio gorcinu zivota, ali je ipak sa odlicnim uspjehom zavrsio osnovnu skolu.

Srednju tehnicku skolu takodje je zavrsio sa odlicnim uspjehom u Sarajevu.

U Cacku je studirao visu tehnicku koju je, gotovo na samom kraju, napustio.

Vratio se u Sarajevo gdje je poceo raditi u eletrodistribuciji Sarajevo.

1980 godine upoznao je svoju suprugu Andjelku i 16. decembra 1981 godine stupali su u brak.

1983 godine, rodio mu se sin Bojan, a 1984, kcerka Tatjana.

Na dan kcerkinog rodjenja polozio je ispit za VK eletricara.

Pored redovnog rada u elektrodistribuciji radio je i privatno .

Sa svojom porodicom zivio je sretno u Sarajevu do pocetka rata 1992 godine.

Supruga i djeca su cetri godine rata proveli u izbjeglistvu u Novom Sadu dok je Mile ostao da radi u elektrodistribuciji Lukavica uz ceste susrete sa porodicom.

1996 godine poceo je svoj zivot od pocetka.

Sa porodicom i dva kofera dosao je u Vankuver, Kanadu.

Prvi covjek koji ga je obisao bio je Ranislav, prijatelj njegovog prijatelja.

Ranislav, jedan od malo, koji mu je ulivao veliki optimizam i nadu da je ovo prava zemlja za ljude koji vole i hoce da rade, a to je i bio njegov cilj, da radom porodici pruzi dobar zivot.

Prvu godinu u Kanadi posvetio je ucenju engleskog jezika.

Na samom kraju skole, Ranislav mu je omogucio da radi u Kostal Pacifik firmi na zamjeni jednog od radnika.

Tu se prvi put susreo sa kranovima.

Od tada je to postao i njegov interes.

Ubrzo nakon toga dobio je posao u Kaverit firmi za pravljenje i servisiranje kranova.

Tu je primljen na odredjeno vrijeme, ali zbog izuzetnog zalaganja i znanja koje je imao i stekao, ostao je u njoj.

U firmi je bio cjenjen kao vrhunski strucnjak.

Radio je mnogo ali je i stvarao mnogo.

1999 godine ponovo se vratio u skolu i polagao licencu za rad u Kanadi kao elekricar.

Na strani svih radnih uspeha, porodica je uvjek bila na prvom mjestu.

Uzivao je u putovanjima, druzio se sa ljudima i u svakom trenutku bio je spreman da pomogne na bilo koji nacin.

Mlad i jos pun zivota otisao je i ostavio prazninu u srcima svoga sina Bojana, kcerke Tatjane, supruge Andjelke i sestre Vesne.

Ostavio je prazninu u srcima svih prijatelja i svih onih koji su ga poznavali, ali sjecanje i ljubav ostat ce prisutna medju svima nama.

Sigurno da veliki trag na srcu i sjecanje na njega ostat ce kod njegove supruge.

Sjecanje na prvi susret.

Sjecanje na vjencanje, radjanje sina i kcerke, prezivljavanje rata i sjecanje na dolazak i pocetak novog zivota u Kanadi.

Sjecanje na razna putovanja u Meksiko i Las Vegas, na Kubu i Havaje i jos mnogo planiranih, ali ne ostvarenih, putovanja.

Njegovih 47 godina je gotovo ½ od godina njegovog tasta koji je umro taj isti dan, 25.04.2004, samo nekoliko sati prije i za ciju smrt pokojni Mile nije imao priliku da zna.

Njegov lijep i kratak zivot je prekinut ali njegovo veliko ime i djelo ce zivjeti vjecno u nama.

Neka mu je vjecna slava!

He was born on 5th of September 1956 in Rogatica, a small town in Bosnia. Milanka, his mother, gave birth to Mile at the age of 18 while his father Radomir-Ratko was 24 at the time. Two years after Mile's birth sister Vesna was born. Until the age of seven, Mile and his family lived in a small town Mesici near a Power Plant where his father worked as an electrician. Thereafter the whole family moved to Gorazde as Radomir was promoted to a better placement at Electrodistribution of Gorazde. Mile started experimenting with electricity as early as age ten. At the age of 12 mother Milanka passed away. With the loss of his mother at an early age he experienced the hardships life has to offer. Even though life was tough for Mile, he finished both high school and college with excellence. He attended a Technical Institute in Cacak, where in his last year he decided to pursue a career opportunity that opened up for him in Sarajevo, and therefore left school. In 1980 he met his future to be wife, Andjelka. On December 16th 1981 the two married. In 1983, Andjelka gave birth to their first child, Bojan. Just 13 months later, daughter Tatjana was born.

With his family, Mile had a happy life in Sarajevo, until a civil war broke out in early months of 1992. Andjelka, Bojan and Tatjana fled to Novi Sad, while Mile stayed in Sarajevo to work. Mile frequently made visits to the family during the near four year war which ended late in 1995.

1996 marked a new beginning for both Mile and his family. On July 10th, the family landed in Vancouver, Canada. The first man to come and visit Mile in the new country was Ranislav, a friend of Mile's friend. Ranislav was one of very few people that helped Mile realize that Canada is a country of opportunities, and that through hard work one can have a great life. Mile's goals were just that. He wanted to work hard and provide his family a great life in a new country. First year in Canada Mile spent studying a new language, English. This was a language Mile had only encountered in movies, but never once spoke or learned. Nearing the end of his English school days, Ranislav gave Mile an opportunity to temporarily work for Costal Pacific, while another worker was on a temporary leave. That marked the first time Mile has worked with cranes. Soon after Mile was hired by Kaverit Steel and Crane, a company that specializes in manufacturing and servicing overhead cranes. He was hired for a three month evaluation period, but due to his hard work and fast learning skills Mile was hired full time soon after. At Kaverit he gained enormous respect as a person and a worker, and soon became a leading tech that the company always relied on. In 1999 Mile went back to school to get a Canadian Next to all success Mile experienced at work, his family has always been first. He enjoyed travelling, had many friends and made him self available to help others in any way he could. Young and full of life, he left an empty feeling inside hearts of his son Bojan, daughter Tatjana, wife Andjelka and sister Vesna. His departure has touched the hearts of many of his friends and all those that knew him. Longest memory of Mile is now with his wife. Memory of their first date. Memory of their wedding, birth of their kids, war, and immigration to Canada. Memory of travels to Mexico, Cuba, Hawaii, Las Vegas and many planned, but never realized travels. His 47 years is nearly half the years of his father in law who died on the same day, just few hours before Mile. Mile did not have a chance to find out of this death. His beautiful and short lived life is finished, but his great name, and beautiful memories will always be with us.

May he rest in peace!

Govori/Eulogies:

Ranislav Trapara (Drug)

Ne zelim da ovo bude moj oprostajni govor, nego radije izraz zahvalnosti.

Zahvalnosti za svu tvoju nesebicnu pomoc……

Da li ima ovdje prisutna osoba kojoj ti na neki nacin nisi pomogao,

posredno ili neposredno……?

Zahvalnosti sto si bi dio nasih zivota…..jer na ovom putovanju koje se zove zivot, ne tako cesto se nase zivotne sudbine ukrste sa osobom koja ima takve ljudske karakteristike kao ti.

Kad bi svi ljudi imali takvu prirodu kao sto je tvoja, zivot na ovoj planeti bi bio mnogo radosniji, a ljudi bi medjusobno osjecali samo ljubav…..

Imali smo u tebi i prijatelja i brata.

Davao si, ali ne da bi dobio nazad, nego da bi nam ispunio srce srecom ,

a lice osmijehom.

Nosio si u sebi karizmu koja nas je plijenila…..davao si nam uzor da u zivotu za svaki problem postoji i rjesenje.

Sa svojim vrijednim radom i ucenjem u svom poslu postao si ekspert zbog cega si i zadobio izuzetno povjerenje svojih predpostavljenih, koji su znali da dok imaju tebe da problem ne moze biti ne rjesiv.

Ne mogu ovih dana da otrgnem iz sjecanja momente naseg zajednickog putovanja u Grand Kanjon proslog decembra….. momenata kada izmedju nas , ljudskih bica i vjecnosti nije postojala granica,… momenata kada ste se ti i Vesna spustili dole niz stijene u bezdan i na ivici stijena bili blizu te vjecnosti…..

Dok smo Andjelka i ja vikali za vama, odvracali vas i grdili, mozda nismo ni slutili da ljudi koje zivot nije mazio od djetinstva ili rane mladosti imaju tu potrebu da pokazu prkos zivotu.

To je neka vrsta opstanka……..

Pricao si nam o tvome djetinstvu i mladosti, o gubitku majke, kada ste ti i tvoja sestra Vesna osjetili surovost spoznaje bola u dusi, tog istog bola koje danas osjecaju Bojan i Tanja…..

Kao ciklus godisnjih doba kad nesto umire u zimu da bi se ponovo rodilo u proljece, tako je nemoguce da postoji zivot bez kraja i svog pocetka.

Lako nam je to prihvatiti…..mozemo prihvatiti i da duhovno bice nije limitirano na fizicko postojanje, i da su svi koji su otisli cesce oko nas nego ikada prije……

ali tesko nam je prihvatiti da kraj dodje u trenutku cvjetanja.

Istina je da ce nam nedostajati zajednicki trenuci smijeha, razgovora i radosti.

Utjeha nam je da, kako rece Andric, “MINUT CISTE RADOSTI OSTAJE U NAMA ZAUVIJEK, KAO SJAJ KOJI NISTA NA MOZE ZAMRACITI.”

Dragi nas Mile, neka ti je vjecna slava i hvala…

Pocivaj u miru….

Amen

by Ranislav Trapara (Friend)

I wouldn’t like for this to be a farewell speech but rather an expression of gratitude.

Gratitude for your selfless help….

Is there a person present here who you didn’t help in some way, directly or indirectly?

Gratitude that you were a part of our lives… because on this journey we call life, rarely will our paths cross with a person with your character and persona.

If everyone on this Earth was to be of your nature, life would be happier and people would only feel love for one another…

In you we had both a friend and a brother.

You gave, but not to receive something in return, but to fill our hearts with joy and our faces with a smile.

You possessed a charisma which engulfed us…. You made us see that in life, every problem has a solution.

With your hard work and constant learning you became an expert in your field. This earned you a great amount of trust and respect from your superiors, who knew that while they had you, no problem was too big.

These days I can’t help but remember our trip to the Grand Canyon last December… moments when between us, human beings and eternity, existed no boundary…. moments when you and Vesna descended down the cliffs into the abyss of the canyon and stood on the edge, close to that eternity.

While me and Andjelka yelled at you two, tried to dissuade you and chastised you, perhaps we never envisioned that people to whom life was not kind from childhood have a need to spite and show contempt to life.

It’s a kind of survival mechanism….

You told us about your childhood and adolescence, about the loss of your mother, when you and your sister Vesna felt the cruel nature of life, the same feeling Bojan and Tanja are experiencing today…

Like with the change of the seasons when something that dies in the winter is again reborn in the spring, it is impossible for life to exist without an end and a beginning.

That is easy for us to accept…. We can accept that the spiritual being is not limited to a physical existence, and that all of those who departed are around us more often than before….but it is hard for us to accept that the end can come in full blossom.

The truth is that we will miss the mutual moments of laughter, conversation and joy…

Nevertheless, we are consoled, as Ivo Andric said, that “minutes of pure joy live in us forever, like a light which can never be extinguished.”

Our dear Mile, may you have eternal glory and gratitude…

Rest in peace.

by Bob Stewart (Manager,Kaverit Steel and Crane)

My name is Bob Stewart.

I have been the Service Manager for Kaverit Cranes in Richmond for almost ten years.

In the summer of 1997, I got a call from one of our customers. He said he had met a good man that I should talk to.

This man was a refugee who had been an Electrician at hydro substations in Yugoslavia. Our customer assured me that this fellow was a very hard worker.

I took his advice and arranged an interview. The man spoke very limited English; had no Ticket accreditation in B.C., had even less crane experience and hadn’t worked at heights. He also delivered the Burnaby Now newspaper.

During the interview I found that he had been educated simultaneously with both Arabic and Cyrillic alphabets. I could see that he was intelligent, committed and would do any work to support his family.

I hired Mile on a temporary basis and told him he had to prove to me that he was valuable enough to keep.

Mile started with us without the benefit of many of the things we Canadians take for granted… but he brought his drive and unmatched work ethic.

He studied all of the crane materials and training we could provide. He attacked every task with a fervor that came from his will and pride in what he did.

Within two years he won his InterProvincia Electricians Trade Ticket and in his fashion … hosted a celebration for all of his co-workers at a Balkan restaurant.

Kaverit had provided Mile an opportunity and he had met the challenge.

With each ensuing year, Mile gained greater skill and knowledge to the point where he became Kaverit’s “ go to” guy.

If there were critical problems with frequency drives, radios, plc’s or other difficult repairs, Mile was first choice to tackle them.

His drive and his appetite for working long hours couldn’t be satisfied. Last year, in one six week stretch, he worked just under 500 hours.

Mile was also a good student of human nature. He had the ability to work successfully with… and for… all manner of personalities.

I knew him to be proud of his wife… his children… and things he could provide them through his hard work.

He and Andjelka came to all of the Christmas parties and barbecues. They also opened their beautiful home to me, my wife and the rest of their Kaverit friends and families.

It was a pleasure to have met and worked with Mile. He earned my respect… and admiration as a truly committed man.

He had lost everything yet never felt sorry for himself or blamed anyone. He faced his challenges and won… by his own efforts.

Dealing with Mile’s passing has been difficult for us all. Future problems may seem difficult but by drawing on Mile’s strength and courage… we can make our best effort to face these challenges as he had.

I leave you with a thought by Henry Van Dyke;

Time is too slow for those who wait,

Too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve,

Too short for those who rejoice,

But for those who love, time is eternity.

Hours fly, flowers die,

New days, new ways pass by,

Love stays.