RIP Smilja Vujosevic

[Hugh Brodie]

Vojin Vujosevic reported the following on Facebook:

"Utterly devastated and with a broken heart I report to you my friends that my dear and unforgettable wife Smilja Vujosevic is with us no longer. After several years of an uphill fight with a vicious disease she passed away on Saturday July 30, 2016 around 2:00 p.m. at Scarborough Rouge Valley Centenary Hospital.

We spent 52 happy years together. She was a woman with no agenda, kind, and always ready to help others. And all the time thinking of me rather than herself.

Funeral viewing, at Ogden Funeral Homes 4164 Sheppard Avenue East [Toronto], just west of Midland, is for one day only on Friday August 5th from 6 pm to 9 pm. Funeral Service will be on Saturday August 6th, approximate start time 2:30 pm. Let me know if you plan to attend. More information will follow."

Historical facts from the CFC site:

Woman International Master 1977
Born Yugoslavia, arrived Canada 1967
Bookkeeper, now retired
Woman's board on Belgrade Partizan team, many times Yugoslav team champion
Canadian Women's Champion from best Women's result at Canadian Open 1970, 1973
Canadian Women's Champion 1975
2nd place Canadian Women's Championship 1989
Best Women's result at Canadian Open 1976, 1988, 1991, 1993
Represented Canada at Women's Olympiads (1974, 1976, 1990, 1992, 1994)
Represented Canada on Group B 1st place team at Women's Olympiad 1976
Bronze medal, Board 1, Women's Olympiad 1976
Represented Canada at Women's Interzonal 1976
Top rated female Canadian at Year-end 3 years in a row (1973-5)
Smilja Vujosevic's choice for her best game:
Smilja Vujosevic vs. Milunka Lazarevic
Canada vs. Yugoslavia, Women's Olympiad, Medellin, Columbia, Board 1, 1974
Two games which illustrate Smilja Vujosevic's style:
Milinka Merlini - Smilja Vujosevic
France - Canada, Women's Olympiad, Haifa, Israel, Board 1, 1976
Smilja Vujosevic - Nava Starr
Canadian Women's Championship, Scarborough, Ontario, 1989

[Vlad Drkulec]

Re: RIP Smilja Vujosevic

May she rest in peace. My condolences to Vojin and the rest of the family.

[Larry Bevand]

Re: RIP Smilja Vujosevic

Vojin and Smilja were a team like one rarely sees these days in a marriage. 52 years...wow! When Vojin would come to our shop in Toronto without Smilja, Vojin was always watching the clock, anxious to get back to that special person in his life. Those were rare times however, as the two of them were almost always together. They had a very special relationship.

Vojin, we all know the world has changed for you forever. It is a very sad day.

Unfortuantely I will not be able to make the funeral. Hopefully we can get together some day soon.

Rest in peace Smilja.

Larry

[John Brown]

Re: RIP Smilja Vujosevic

Dear Vojin;
I'm truly sorry to hear this news. I have great memories of the games I had played against Smilja when I was younger. She was a wonderful lady. She will be missed.
All my condolences to you and your family.
John R. Brown

[Wilf Ferner]

Re: RIP Smilja Vujosevic

RIP Smilja

Wilf Ferner

[Hans Jung]

Re: RIP Smilja Vujosevic

Dear Vojin,
I am very sorry to hear this tragic news. You and Smilja were one of the closest couples I knew and what is far rarer, a close chess couple. I played both you and Smilja many times and shared many chess occasions with you. It was very clear to me that you and Smilja shared something special. All my condolences to you Vojin in this hardest and most trying of times. - Hans

[Ian Findlay]

Re: RIP Smilja Vujosevic

Dear Vojin,

My deepest condolences. You and Smilja greatly contributed to the Toronto chess scene when I was growing up and I will be forever grateful for your contribution. Smilja was one of my most fear opponents growing up. She crushed me numerous times with her Colle system, until I finally found some adequate system. Smilja was a great competitor but always had a smile for you after the game. You were such a great couple. Sad to see the end of that era.

[Frank Dixon]

Re: RIP Smilja Vujosevic

Rest In Peace, WIM Smilja Vujosevic.

My deepest sympathies to Vojin and their family.

I did not know her well, not having ever lived in Toronto, where she and Vojin made their home for nearly 50 years. But I do recall a very hard-fought game against Smilja from the 1980 Toronto Open, when she played a quiet system as White and won a long battle against me. Vojin, himself a National Master strength player, joined in the post-mortem analysis, where I learned a lot from both, in about half an hour! Thank you for the memories of that game and session, not forgotten after 36 years!

In times when immigrants, as a group, are being needlessly and heartlessly criticized by some people in the public realm (Donald Trump, for example), we have to make strong counterpoints of very powerful immigrant success stories in Canada, such as the Vujosevic family. :)

[Hugh Brodie]

Re: RIP Smilja Vujosevic

Addendum from Vojin Vujosevic:

"For those who may have a chance to come to Smilja Vujosevic funeral services there has been a change regarding Saturday or else we'd have to travel to Stouffille.
Funeral Viewing is at Ogden Funeral Homes 4164 Sheppard Avenue East [Toronto], just west of Midland, for one day only on Friday August 5th from 6 pm to 9 pm.
Funeral Service will be on Saturday August 6th, at the same location, from 9:30 am - 10:30 am.
At 11:30 am witnessing at St. John's Norway Cemetery at 256 Kingston Rd just west of Woodbine."

[Hal Bond]

Re: RIP Smilja Vujosevic

Thank you Vojin, all that you and Smilja brought to Canadian chess. Your devotion to our game and to each other continue to inspire me. I am so sorry that I cannot attend the service.

[Brad Thomson]

Re: RIP Smilja Vujosevic

I am sorry to hear of your loss, Vojin. My thoughts and prayers are with you.