Smiljan "Smiley" Blazevic

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Smiljan Blazevic, 62, of New Cumberland PA who passed away on Tuesday, June 9, 2026 after a hard-fought battle with lung cancer. He was born in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on February 6, 1964, to the late Stijepan and Delfa (Miljak) Blazevic.

He leaves behind his wife and best friend of 40 years, Zdenka (Ramljak) Blazevic; his two daughters, Sanja Blazevic of Brooklyn, New York and Ivana Rosenboom (husband, Christoph) of Krefeld, Germany; his two cherished grandchildren, Lisa Marie and Connor Erik Rosenboom; two sisters, Smiljana Djoric of Belgrade, Serbia, and Jelena Simunac (husband, Stanko) of Livno, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and many extended family members and dear friends who will forever carry his memory in their hearts.

Born in Zenica, Bosnia, Smiljan lived a life defined by resilience, hard work, generosity, and an unwavering devotion to his family.

When the Yugoslavian Civil War began, he made the difficult and selfless decision to ensure the safety of his wife and young daughters, who spent two years as refugees in Germany while he remained behind. Though separated by war and uncertainty, his love and commitment to his family never wavered. Following the war, he was reunited with them in Germany, where they spent four years rebuilding their lives together.

Determined to create greater opportunities for his family, Smiljan immigrated to the United States in 1998. Arriving in a new country and learning a new language, he embraced every challenge with determination and perseverance. Through hard work and dedication, he built a successful career as an electrician.

His strong work ethic, natural leadership, and ability to connect with people earned him the respect of everyone around him. Throughout his career, he led teams and projects with pride and professionalism, most recently as a valued member of the team at Leer Electric.

Anyone who knew Smiljan knew that he was rarely without a smile, a story, or a joke. High-spirited, proud, and endlessly sociable, he had a gift for making people feel welcome. He could strike up a conversation with anyone and leave them smiling.

A true jack-of-all-trades, there seemed to be nothing he couldn’t fix. Family, friends, and neighbors knew they could always count on him for help, advice, or simply a good laugh.

He found joy in fishing, breeding Budapest High Flyer pigeons, working in his garden, and harvesting fruit from his orchard. His love for animals was evident throughout his life—he never said no when his daughters wanted to welcome another pet into the family. He also enjoyed watching basketball, passionately cheering on Croatia during soccer matches, and relaxing with an episode of MasterChef.

Children naturally gravitated toward him. His playful nature, warm heart, and sense of humor made him a favorite among young and old alike. No one brought him greater happiness than his two grandchildren. He treasured every moment spent with them, and they adored their grandfather beyond words.

Above all else, Smiljan will be remembered as a devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother, and friend; a man who sacrificed for his family, worked tirelessly to provide for them, and never lost his ability to laugh, help others, and find joy in everyday life.

His journey from Bosnia to Germany and ultimately to the United States stands as a testament to his courage, perseverance, and unwavering commitment to creating a better future for those he loved.

He will be deeply missed, lovingly remembered, and forever held in our hearts.

A public viewing will be held from 10am until Mass at 11am on Saturday, June 13, 2026 at Prince of Peace Catholic Church, Steelton. Interment will immediately follow in Mt. Olivet Cemetery, New Cumberland. Afterwards, friends and family are invited to a luncheon at Dalicia Ristorante and Bakery in Mechanicsburg.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a contribution in Smiljan’s name to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

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U spomen na Smiljana „Smiley” Blaževića

S dubokom tugom objavljujemo da je Smiljan Blažević, 62, iz New Cumberlanda u Pennsylvaniji, preminuo u utorak, 9. lipnja 2026., nakon teške i hrabre borbe s rakom pluća. Rođen je 6. veljače 1964. godine u Zenici, Bosna i Hercegovina, kao sin pokojnih Stjepana i Delfe (rođ. Miljak) Blažević.

Iza sebe ostavlja svoju suprugu i najbolju prijateljicu Zdenku (rođ. Ramljak) Blažević, s kojom je proveo 40 godina u braku, dvije kćeri, Sanju Blažević iz Brooklyna u New Yorku i Ivanu Rosenboom (muž: Christoph) iz Krefelda u Njemačkoj, dvoje voljenih unučadi, Lisu Marie i Connora Erika Rosenbooma, dvije sestre, Smiljanu Đorić iz Beograda u Srbiji i Jelenu Šimunac (muž: Stanko) iz Livna u Bosni i Hercegovini, kao i mnogobrojnu rodbinu i drage prijatelje koji će njegovu uspomenu zauvijek nositi u svojim srcima.

Rođen u Zenici, Smiljan je živio život obilježen otpornošću, marljivim radom, velikodušnošću i nepokolebljivom odanošću svojoj obitelji.

Kada je započeo Domovinski rat na području bivše Jugoslavije, donio je tešku i nesebičnu odluku kako bi osigurao sigurnost svojoj supruzi i mladim kćerima, koje su dvije godine provele kao izbjeglice u Njemačkoj dok je on ostao iza njih. Unatoč ratnim stradanjima i neizvjesnosti, njegova ljubav i predanost obitelji nikada nisu posustale. Nakon završetka rata ponovno se ujedinio sa svojom obitelji u Njemačkoj, gdje su četiri godine zajedno gradili novi život.

Odlučan stvoriti bolje prilike za svoju obitelj, Smiljan je 1998. godine emigrirao u Sjedinjene Američke Države. Dolaskom u novu zemlju i suočen s učenjem novog jezika, prihvatio je svaki izazov s odlučnošću i ustrajnošću. Svojim trudom i predanošću izgradio je uspješnu karijeru električara.

Njegova snažna radna etika, prirodne liderske sposobnosti i dar za povezivanje s ljudima donijeli su mu poštovanje svih koji su ga poznavali. Tijekom svoje karijere s ponosom i profesionalnošću vodio je timove i projekte, a posljednjih godina bio je cijenjeni član tima tvrtke Leer Electric.

Svatko tko je poznavao Smiljana znao je da je rijetko bio bez osmijeha, priče ili šale. Vedar duhom, ponosan i iznimno društven, imao je poseban dar učiniti da se ljudi osjećaju dobrodošlo. Mogao je započeti razgovor sa svakim i ostaviti ga s osmijehom na licu.

Bio je pravi čovjek za sve poslove i činilo se da ne postoji ništa što nije mogao popraviti. Obitelj, prijatelji i susjedi znali su da uvijek mogu računati na njegovu pomoć, savjet ili jednostavno dobar smijeh.

Radost je pronalazio u ribolovu, uzgoju budimpeštanskih visokoletećih golubova, radu u vrtu i berbi voća iz vlastitog voćnjaka. Njegova ljubav prema životinjama bila je očita tijekom cijelog života — nikada nije rekao „ne” kada su njegove kćeri poželjele udomiti još jednog kućnog ljubimca. Uživao je i u gledanju košarke, strastveno navijajući za Hrvatsku tijekom nogometnih utakmica, te se opuštao uz epizode emisije MasterChef.

Djeca su mu prirodno prilazila. Njegova razigrana narav, toplo srce i smisao za humor činili su ga omiljenim među mladima i starima. No nitko mu nije donosio veću sreću od njegovih dvoje unučadi. Svaki trenutak proveden s njima neizmjerno je cijenio, a oni su svog djeda voljeli više nego što riječi mogu opisati.

Iznad svega, Smiljan će ostati zapamćen kao odan suprug, otac, djed, brat i prijatelj; čovjek koji se žrtvovao za svoju obitelj, neumorno radio kako bi im osigurao bolji život te nikada nije izgubio sposobnost smijati se, pomagati drugima i pronalaziti radost u svakodnevnim trenucima.

Njegovo životno putovanje od Bosne preko Njemačke do Sjedinjenih Američkih Država svjedočanstvo je njegove hrabrosti, ustrajnosti i nepokolebljive predanosti stvaranju bolje budućnosti za one koje je volio.

Duboko će nam nedostajati, s ljubavlju ćemo ga se sjećati i zauvijek ga nositi u svojim srcima.

Javno posljednje ispraćanje održat će se u subotu, 13. lipnja 2026., od 10:00 sati do mise u 11:00 sati u crkvi Prince of Peace Catholic Church u Steeltonu. Pokop će uslijediti odmah nakon toga na groblju Mt. Olivet Cemetery u New Cumberlandu, a potom će se održati zajednički ručak u restoranu Dalicia Ristorante and Bakery u Mechanicsburgu.

Umjesto cvijeća, molimo da u Smiljanovo ime razmotrite donaciju Dječjoj bolnici St. Jude.