Aleksandar Petkoski

Aleksandar (Alex) Petkoski was born on March 25, 1929 in Ohrid, in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. He was one of four children born to Jonce and Ruska Petkovski. He adored his older brother Vojne, and had much love and respect for his sisters Vesela and Nada. His family owned one of the very first movie theaters in Macedonia. During those times, when few had the means to leave the country, the movie theater was the only escape the residents had to the outside world. It allowed the moviegoers to escape into the world of Ester Williams, Shirley Temple, Greta Garbo, Fred Astaire-just to name a few. During his childhood, Alex would watch the antics of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. They would provide much comic relief, and remain his favorite comedians. Their comedy influenced Alex and, throughout his life, he entertained and made all those around him laugh with his quick wit and endless flow of jokes.

He had a voice that was compared to that of the great Mario Lanza. He entertained opera lovers with his performances in the Macedonian National Theater in Skopje.His dreams of continuing his career in the arts were cut short due to an illness that left him partially deaf in one ear. Shortly after that time, he moved to Belgrade to attend university and graduated with a degree in electronics. Although he could not sing professionally anymore and pursued a career in electronics, he never forgot his first love: the opera. He would always bless his family with his voice during gatherings. He remained a loyal fan of the opera and had a vast collection of the classic operas and Luciano Pavarotti’s recordings.

During the 1950’s he immigrated to the United States, to be with his father, and began to work with him in the family bakery. In 1958, he met the love of his life, Alexandra. They were married on September 30, 1958, in Gary, Indiana. Shortly thereafter, they moved to Chicago.

His career in electronics spanned over 40 years. While living in Chicago, Alex worked for Zenith, where he remained until he moved to Florida in 1980. Upon moving to Florida, Alex worked for Motorola until his retirement. His hard work and dedication helped the company excel, as two of his inventions were patented and used in Motorola products throughout the world. He received awards and recognition for his achievements from the President of Motorola for his contributions to the company.

He passed away on December 15, 2014 after a 20+ year battle with Parkinson’s disease. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Alexandra, daughter Emilia, son-in-law Andy, grandchildren Cody Alexander and Matthew William. He is also survived by his sister Nada Babacheva of Ohrid and his many nieces, nephews, cousins and beloved friends.

In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that you make donations to the Michael J. Fox Foundation For Parkinson’s Research.

https://www.michaeljfox.org/get-involved/donation2.php?pg=tribute