Branko "Branny" Pajic

Branko Pajic passed away peacefully on February 26, 2024, at the age of 76, forever in the hearts and minds of his beautiful and adoring wife Durda, his son Slobodan (Lori), his daughter Angela (Emmet) and grandchildren Nicole, Avery, Atticus and Isla.

Branko was born in Srnice Donje, Bosnia. He was the youngest of eight children: Joka, Mihailo, Miodrag, Spasa, Risto, Borka and Sava. He is survived by his older brother Risto, and older sisters Borka and Sava (Miloš). Branko was born into extreme poverty just after the Second World War. His mother Jovanka raised him alone while his father Nikola was interned as an anti-communist political prisoner.

Branko, who never followed anyone else’s lead, left the family home at the age of 13 and began an adventure of a lifetime. He lived in Rijeka, Croatia, Trieste, Italy, Vienna, Austria and in Germany before finally settling in Winnipeg, Canada. It was there that he started a family with his wife of 52 years, Durda.

In 1976, they decided to pack up their children and all of their belongings into a U-Haul, and head west to Nanaimo, BC. While living in Nanaimo, Branko built many commercial buildings and numerous homes that still proudly stand today.

On the advice of his wife’s cousin Janko, Branko uprooted his family and moved to Edmonton, Alberta where he built Turbo Refineries, commercial buildings and many homes. Sadly, the bitter prairie cold was too much for Branny, and once again, he was pulled west. Branny lured his children with a beautiful home on an acreage with a fantastic pool and tennis court. Here in Surrey, Branny found his stride, building many homes in Crescent Beach, Ocean Park, White Rock and Morgan Creek. Perhaps the Crown Jewel of them all was a townhouse complex in White Rock that he named after his first grandchild, Nicole.

His love of Beautiful British Columbia deepened when he began hunting in Northern B.C. and the Interior with his good hunting buddies, where they hunted moose, deer and long-horn sheep.

As the last decade of the twentieth century began, Branny was heartbroken to see his native country of Yugoslavia begin to come apart, eventually descending into civil war. He and Durda dedicated themselves to helping as many family members and friends leave war-torn Bosnia to come to Canada in search of peace and prosperity. When they arrived, he provided them with homes and jobs and a chance to start over in his adopted home, which had given him so much.

In recent years, Branny never missed a chance to spend time with his four grandchildren, whether taking them to Kelowna, California, Arizona, Mexico, Costa Rica and beyond, or just delighting them with tractor rides around their farm.

The builder of countless homes, Branny’s greatest legacy is the family and community he built. He is dearly remembered by not only his wife, his children and his grandchildren, and not only by dozens of cousins, nieces and nephews, but also by a vibrant Serbian community that he was integral in establishing in British Columbia.

Although struggle was Branny’s constant companion, love was his ultimate accomplishment.

His funeral will be held on March 11, 2024 at 11 am at Victory Memorial Park and Funeral Centre located at 14831 28th Avenue, Surrey BC. Please consider donating to the St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church https://www.svetisava.net/donate