Obituary of Mato Lourek Stubicar

Mato Lovrek Stubicar, beloved husband of Ljubica (Lucy) (nee Bistrovic) of Calgary, passed away suddenly at the Peter Lougheed Centre on Tuesday, January 20, 2004. Born on January 18, 1932 in the green hills of Zagorje, Croatia, Mato came to Zagreb in 1953 in search of work, and lived there until 1970 when he immigrated to Canada. On a wintry April day in Calgary, he began what he would call the shovel and broom chapter of his life, entirely devoted to a better future for his family. From years of hard work, Mato would take a break by looking after his apple orchard in Sunnyside, singing in the church choir and vacationing in Montreal and back home. A life marked by hard times and loss of loved ones made Mato a genuine humanitarian, one who could always identify with the plight of the poor, the mournful and the downtrodden. His deep desire to share with others whatever he learned from his own experience and personal study made him a true mentor for many. Mato’s unmeasured generosity, his unique sense of humour and his innate gift for the spoken word and song will be sadly missed by all who knew him. Besides his loving wife, Ljubica, Mato is also survived by his son Damir of Calgary; and his daughter Vlasta of Montreal. He is also survived by his brother Jakob and sister-in-law Eva of Calgary; his sisters Minka and Roza Glavica of Croatia; his sisters-in-law Ruza of Calgary and Durda of Zagreb; his niece Zdenka of Calgary; his nephews Steve Glavica, Robert and Nenad of Calgary; as well as other nieces and nephews of Croatia; his cousins Marta of Ottawa, Barbara of Zagreb and Rozika of Zemun. Mato was predeceased by his brothers Marko, Mirko and Tomo of Croatia. Funeral Mass will be celebrated at Our Lady of Marija Bistrica Croatian Catholic Church (14680 Deer Ridge Drive S.E.) on Saturday, January 24, 2004 at 11:00 A.M. If friends so desire, memorial tributes may be made directly to the Terry Fox Foundation, Unit D10, 6115 – 3 Street S.E., Calgary, AB T2H 2L2. Telephone: (403) 212-1336. www.terryfoxrun.org. In living memory of Mato Stubicar, a tree will be planted at Nose Creek Valley by McINNIS & HOLLOWAY FUNERAL HOMES, Park Memorial Chapel, 5008 ELBOW DRIVE S.W., CALGARY, TELEPHONE: (403) 243-8200.