Ivan Joseph Mihaljevich, Sr.

Ivan Joseph Mihaljevich passed away at home, surrounded by family, on Wednesday, March 5, 2008. He was 78 years old. He is survived by his loving wife of 33 years, Cvijeta (Florence); children Ivan Mihaljevich, Jr., Tanya Sussman, Tatiana Tomasevich, and Zrinka Botiller; and five grandchildren.

Born in Croatia on Sept. 15, 1929, Ivan made his way to the United States to join his brother who was already living in the South Bay area. He has been a resident of Redondo Beach for almost 50 years. Ivan loved his family and was very active in the Croatian community. He also worked with various children's charities to provide medical care to children in need. His greatest passion was singing opera. He started singing when he was 4 years old and has performed in concert halls, opera houses and on television throughout the world. In his spare time, he liked to repair watches and tinker with electronics. Ivan worked for 24 years as a test engineer for TRW until he retired in 1990.

Funeral mass will be celebrated on Saturday, March 15th at 11:00 a.m. at Saint Anthony's Croatian Catholic Church located at 712 N Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012.

In lieu of flowers the family requests a donation in his name be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis TN 38105.