Belgrade, Serbia / Vienna, Austria – It is with profound sadness that the family of Boris Radojicic announce his peaceful passing on the morning of October 24, 2023, at the age of 78. Surrounded by his loving family at the University Clinical Center in Novi Sad, Serbia, Boris departed this world as he lived in it: with quiet strength, unassuming grace, and a gentle smile that belied a life of extraordinary resilience.
To read the name “Boris Radojicic” in an obituary is to mark the end of a generation that bridged the old Yugoslavia and the modern, fragmented Balkans. He was not a celebrity, nor a politician, nor a titan of industry. Instead, Boris was something rarer: a pillar of his community, a man whose name was synonymous with trust, hard work, and an unbreakable bond to his family and his heritage. Born on March 12, 1945, in the small village of Srbobran, Boris came into the world just as the Second World War was drawing to a close. He was the first child of Mihailo and Jovanka Radojicic, both teachers who instilled in him a love for literature and the principles of časnost (honesty) and drugarstvo (comradeship). Growing up in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Boris witnessed the nation’s hopeful reconstruction from the ashes of war.
He was a voracious reader until eyesight failed him, devouring everything from Ivo Andrić to crime novels. His favorite joke—which he told so often it became family lore—was: “Why don’t engineers play hide and seek? Because good luck hiding when someone always points out the flaws in your hiding spot.” Boris was hospitalized two weeks before his death after a sudden stroke. Though his body weakened, his mind remained sharp. He spent his last days listening to old sevdalinka music, holding hands with his children, and asking, “Is the garden watered?” He passed away quietly in his sleep, a portrait of Milena on the bedside table and a single sprig of basil—his favorite herb—on his pillow. boris radojicic obituary
— Jackie Robinson
In an age of fleeting fame and digital noise, Boris Radojicic lived a life of substance. He fixed what was broken, fed who was hungry, and loved without condition. His name may not be etched into statues or textbooks. But for those who knew him—for his family, his neighbors, and the students he mentored—Boris was a monument of the human spirit. Belgrade, Serbia / Vienna, Austria – It is
— Rest in peace, čiča Boris. May the honey always be sweet, and the Danube always remember your name.
He is survived by his son, Dragan Radojicic (wife, Svetlana); his daughter, Natalija Petrović-Radojicic; his sister, Danica; his three grandchildren; and countless nieces, nephews, colleagues, and friends whose lives he touched. True to his humble nature, Boris Radojicic requested no lavish funeral. A private service will be held on October 27 at the Almaš Cemetery in Novi Sad, followed by a gathering at the family home. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Serbian Multiple Sclerosis Society, or simply that you plant a tree in your own yard and think of him. He was not a celebrity, nor a politician,
Milena’s health began to decline in the early 2000s due to multiple sclerosis. Without hesitation, Boris reduced his hours at the engineering firm to become her primary caregiver. For nearly two decades, he woke early to make her breakfast, read to her from Serbian poetry books, and push her wheelchair through the park. He refused to place her in a home. “She danced with me when I had two left feet,” he would say. “Now I walk with her.”