October 22, 1948 – July 24, 2024   

It is with great sadness that our family announces the passing of Zora Pavlovic on July 24, 2024. She was an incredible wife, mother, Baba (grandma in Croatian), and friend to many. Zora battled a rare autoimmune condition and fought tremendously but later passed peacefully with her family by her side. 

Zora was born on October 22, 1948, in Radišići, a small village near the border of present-day Hercegovina and Croatia. After meeting her husband, Stojan, at the young age of 16, they soon began what would be an incredible journey across the world to start a new life in Canada together. Zora and Stojan tried escaping the communist regime occupying the country, but Zora was caught and sent back while her partner Stojan continued on to Canada to start establishing their home roots. After a year of writing letters back and forth to each other, being the strong and determined Croatian woman that she was, Zora made her second attempt to leave her homeland and eventually arrived in Canada. Upon arriving at her final destination of Kamloops, her husband-to-be was waiting patiently with open arms along with a number of cousins who would become her new extended family. They were married on December 28, 1966, and shortly thereafter purchased their first home in Kamloops, B.C., to establish roots and start a family, which evolved into a marriage of over 57 years together. 

Baba’s passion was her cooking and entertaining friends and family. She had an immense love for making the most delicious meals. Baba’s burek, ćevapi, ražniči, and pastries have fed many throughout the years and will be missed dearly. Throughout her life, she regularly hosted large family gatherings, consisting of our Croatian friends and families group staying over all night drinking wine, playing games, and laughing until the early hours of the morning. Over time, her welcoming household extended to new friends and neighbors who always had a welcome place in Baba’s home, where everyone was greeted with open arms and left with full bellies. 

Baba’s pride was her family. Nothing made Baba happier than the beautiful family she had raised and cared for. Zora was predeceased by her father, Ljubo Bunoza, mother Dragica, brothers Ivan (Rosa) and Mirko, and sister Neveka. Zora is survived by her loving husband, Stojan Pavlovic, daughter, Rosanna (Brent), son, Albert (Denise), and her three pride and joy grandsons, Vann, Nicholas, and Alexander, along with numerous nieces and nephews whom she adored. 

Baba was an endlessly generous, loving, and giving individual. Her love and compassion were boundless and touched so many lives. She always knew how to make people laugh, light up a room, and put a smile on the faces of others with her lively and upbeat nature. We are truly grateful to have had such an amazing wife, mother, Baba, aunt, and friend. 

The family would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the amazing health care staff at Royal Inland Hospital for helping Zora and her family cope over the past several months. Drs. Hayes, Fong, Nicholl, Connely, Kabarle, Svarta, and many, many more; all the nurses and care aides, the amazing ICU staff, the recovery teams on GT-7, and especially Tony and Laszio, who brought so much joy, friendship, comfort, and extra care to Zora during her time there. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to Royal Inland Hospital and/or the Vasculitis Foundation of Canada. 

A Mass will be held on July 30 at 11:00 a.m. at Sacred Heart Cathedral, followed by a burial at Hillside Cemetery. We will be hosting a reception at the Coast Hotel in the Vista room after the burial. 

She will be missed greatly. 

We love you, Baba. 

You may offer a message of condolence at Schoening Funeral Service for the Pavlovic family. 

• Date : 2024-07-24
• Location : Kamloops