It is with profound sadness that we announce that Vlasta Dvornik passed away peacefully on May 16, 2020, one month before her 94th birthday. Beloved wife of Dushan Dvornik. Greatly loved mother of Janka (Daniel Vinet) and cherished grandmother of Eliane and Stephanie (Nicolas Bougie). Loving sister of Petar Juranovič. She will be deeply missed by her nieces Iva Cindrič (Ivek Cindrič) and Martina Tonejc (Andrej Tonejc). Predeceased by her parents, Janka Hagenauer and Ivo Juranovič.
Vlasta was born in Zagreb, Croatia where she grew up. She completed her graduate studies in Chemical Engineering. With great courage and determination, she left her family and friends in 1956 to join her husband, the love of her life, in Ottawa, Ontario where he was a post-doctoral fellow at the National Research Council of Canada. Janka was able to join her parents in 1957 and the happily reunited family moved to Montreal in 1959.
Vlasta greatly enjoyed working in the Biochemistry Lab at St. Mary’s Hospital for close to 25 years. She and Dushan moved to Princeton, New Jersey in 1983 where they made their home for another 18 very happy years. They subsequently returned to Montreal in 2001 to be closer to their family and reconnect with dear old friends.
Vlasta was a charming and vivacious person with a profound zest for life. A wonderful hostess and cook, her dinner parties were hugely appreciated events. Chic and stylish, she was also very adept at sewing. A great lover of history and the arts, Vlasta was a connoisseur of classical music and opera, ballet, literature and film. Her immense interest in antiques and oriental carpets translated into a home that she decorated with much pleasure, given her discerning eye. She truly loved to travel and accompanied Dushan on his many business trips around the world, usually extending their stay to enjoy a holiday and explore the region.
Making and nurturing connections with people was a source of great
happiness for Vlasta. She was generous and thoughtful, refined, yet mischievous. Vlasta was an inspiring and precious life partner for Dushan, a wonderful mother, and a warm and devoted daughter, grandmother, sister, mother-in-law and friend.
Our profound gratitude goes out to the compassionate second-floor staff at Place Kensington who took such good care of Vlasta for the past nine years. We would like to acknowledge her exceptional caregivers Anna, Sharon, Patricia and Peace for their steadfast support and great kindness and the attentive care of Dr. Lisy and Dr. Iny.
A celebration of life will be held for Vlasta when COVID-19 restrictions are lifted. Condolences may be forwarded to [email protected] and [email protected]
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