Andrej Gregor Susnik

7 March 1928 – 3 March 2024

Andrej Gregor Susnik, aged 95 years, of Uplands Park, Hammonds Plains, Nova Scotia passed away on Sunday, March 3, 2024 at Saint Vincent’s Nursing Home.

He is survived by the love of his life Elza (Lozar) Susnik to whom he was married for over 70 years, his daughters Darja and Linda (Robert), his sister Sonja (Susnik) Vrtovec and many generations of nieces and nephews here in Canada, Slovenia and Austria.

Andrej had a long career as an architect and finished his last years working for the Department of National Defense and Public Works Canada. While at DND, he received the Maritime Commander’s Commendation for exceptional service, an honour rarely bestowed upon civilians. He worked on many government buildings around the province of Nova Scotia. Some notable projects included the Halifax Stanfield International Airport, the Lunenburg Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic and Springhill Penitentiary (his daughter Linda who inherited his deadpan and dry sense of humour loved to tell her teenage peers that her dad was doing time at Springhill - Andrej thought this was hilarious).

Unbeknownst to Andrej, his daughters delighted in calling him Handy Andy. This was because he could fix anything. He remodeled his own home in Uplands Park and did it all on his own, with the exception of the times the task was too large and he would call upon his dear friend, Bernie Flynn, to give him a hand. In his seventies, Elza had to chastise him for crawling up onto the roof instead of calling someone else to fix it. With good reason, as he did manage to tumble off the roof but luckily no bones were broken. As he liked to say, he had a hard head for a reason.

Andrej loved life in “the Park” with its sense of community, neighbourliness, and many children. In his younger days, more than one child in Uplands Park was given a ride on his shoulders and kids would often come to ask if Andrej was home to help them fix their bikes. One of his favourite holidays was Hallowe’en when he would greet the costumed children at the door with treats.

Andrej was born in Ljubljana, Slovenia (then the Kingdom of Yugoslavia). He was the son of Josip Susnik and Kristina (Miklautsch) Susnik. He and Elza would return for yearly visits to Slovenia to see family and friends. He was immensely proud of his homeland and rejoiced in 1991 when Slovenia achieved independence from Yugoslavia.

Andrej was quite a character and would regale those he met with stories of his wartime experiences. He was a veteran of World War II and endured many hardships during that time. As a teenager he was captured by the Germans and sent to a work internment camp. He escaped and was re-captured. Not one to ever give up, he escaped a second time and joined the Partisans to fight for his country. He survived the trials of life during war with tenacity and strength of will.

We say goodbye to Andrej with a sense of a long life well-lived.

A special thank you to all the caring nurses and staff at Saint Vincent’s Nursing Home. Your kindness and support were greatly appreciated.

Cremation has taken place. There will be no service. A mass was held in Ljubljana, Slovenia on March 7, 2024. To place an online condolence please visit: www.jasnowfuneralhome.com