In memory of

Olga Markovich

February 24, 1940 -  November 2, 2024

Olga B. Markovich, 84, of Toronto, passed away on Saturday, November 2nd 2024 after a long and fulfilling life.

Olga was born in Toronto on February 24th 1940, the only child of Božidar M. Markovich and Milica Trumich. Her father was one of the founders of the Serbian National Defense Council and later the Serbian National Shield Society of Canada. His work greatly influenced his daughter’s own career path and research interests.

Olga worked as a business editor and writer with Southam Communications Inc., but was also passionate about documenting the experiences of Serbian immigrants to Canada. In 1965, Olga authored an influential study titled "The Settlement of Serbs in Canada and Their Activities.” Olga wrote countless articles in both Serbian and English in the Voice of Canadian Serbs over six decades and was a contributing writer for Srbobran and Serb World USA until 2023.

Over the years, Olga’s contributions earned her numerous awards, including the Thomas Turner Memorial award (1973); the Serb National Federation's Person of the Year award (1986); and the 1977 Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal.

A dedicated patron of the arts, Olga was passionate about opera, theater, the symphony, and cinema. She was also an incredibly voracious reader; a real literary omnivore who read extensively and could always be counted on to recommend wonderful books to friends. She was known to collect magazine articles and newspaper clippings when she thought the subject might be of interest to someone she knew. Her love language was sharing the written word.

Olga was one of the founding members of a small but dedicated bookclub that celebrated its 20 year anniversary in 2023. Together this tight-knit group of friends read and discussed over 250 fiction and non-fiction titles. They shared countless meals together at restaurants and at each other’s homes and enjoyed attending lectures at the Appel Salon in the Toronto Reference Library. They were, and are, the definition of found family.

Olga will be greatly missed by her dearest and closest friends Mira Mitrovic and Olga Radovanovich, cousins Paula, Don, Peter and James, the Radovanovich, Hammond and Davey families and the many, many dear and cherished friends who loved and supported her throughout her life.

Olga’s friends wish to thank the dedicated healthcare team at Michael Garron Hospital for their care and compassion.

A private funeral will be held at York Cemetery and Funeral Center (160 Beecroft Rd, Toronto) on Thursday, November 7th at 1pm with an on-site reception to follow.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a preferred charity of choice.

Guestbook 

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relyea,steve (Myself: Life long friend.Olga said my mother was her best friend)

Entered November 5, 2024 from TORONTO

My mother Mary Milo was Olga's best friend and this extended back in history as my grandmother and Minnie were also best friends.

So my mother took care of Olga when Olga was younger and then Olga took care of me when our families summered together in Midland. We went on frequent hikes coming on deer and bears and luckily didn't experience any ticks.

As adults Olga and I tracked accounts of Serbian history, particularly immigrants as reflected in this eulogy. Olga was very much part of our family and we hers.
I will miss Olga very much

Teresa Schuetz (Friend)

Entered November 6, 2024 from Newmarket

I worked with Olga 37 years ago at Southam and we became fast friends due to our love of reading. I was always impressed by her kindness towards me and my family including my dog. She had a big heart and always a smile on her face. We kept in touch all these years and had phone visits every month discussing books, films and the state of the world. She will be missed by me and all those whose lives she touched.
R.I.P Olga ♥️

Carol Radovan (book club friend)

Entered November 6, 2024 from Hamilton

Dear Olga, Rest easy in peace and love. Thank you for our brief but lovely friendship.

Alex Papanou (Friend and Colleague)

Entered November 6, 2024 from Toronto

Thank you for your friendship and kindness, you will aways remain in my heart.
God bless you Olga and may your memory be eternal.

Milana (Mim) Bizic (Penpal, friend for 7 decades)

Entered November 8, 2024 from Sewickley, PA

Oh how my heart aches. I just learned of the passing today of Olga B. Markovich.

Olga and I had been friends since childhood. Our fathers fixed us up. I was sick and my dad wrote about it in the SRBOBRAN. Olga’s dad, Božidar Markovich, was very active in the SNF too. One of them suggested we be penpals. She was 13, I was 12, and we began writing back and forth. She suggested we write about proverbs and so it started…. “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink it." Etc.

Olga was so smart, she was a living Serbian encyclopedia. She wrote for the SRBOBRAN, the Serbian Glasnik, Glas Kanadski Srba, the Serb World magazine and was always very thorough in her well researched articles. She gave talks at the Canadian Serb book stores. She was a genius.

I will surely miss her and I know her death is such a great loss not only to me and the Canadian Serbs, but the whole Serbian world. She was a fount of knowledge.

One funny thing she didn’t know was how to help Dr. Natalie Pavlovich and me get back home after visiting her one day. No trouble getting to her house up, but something wasn’t right on the way back down to the USA. Natalie and I were talking so much, we missed our turn and were driving endlessly.

“Natalie, I’m sure we didn’t pass any of these landmarks before like ‘the Underground Railroad,’ etc as I love that subject and surely I would have noticed that before.”

We finally called Olga.

“Olga, get a map out and get us south. We have to go down south.”

“Where are you?” she asked.

We drove until we came to another small town with a welcoming sign. I told her the name while Natalie drove.

“I can’t!” she said.
“Just get us south….”

“I can’t.”
“Why not?” I asked perplexed.
“Because if I tell you to go south now, you ‘ll be in the Lake!”

Well, she figured it was shorter for us to go to Windsor instead of backtracking, and it sure was one ride all three of us laughed about for years!

Memory eternal map reader, my always such a brave fighter for Serbian History and Justice. I’m sure you’ll be happy to join your wonderful, loving and caring parents. Thank you, my beautiful servant of God, for the time you spent well here on earth. You sure made a difference. Vjecnaja Pamjat. I’ll truly miss you.

Photos 

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