- Date Of Birth: October 13, 1919
- Date Of Death: May 20, 2016
- State: New York
Our beautiful and beloved mother, Violet Todorovich, passed away on Friday, May 20, 2016 at the age of 96. We deeply mourn her passing, but celebrate her extraordinary life. She was luminous – full of love, grace and optimism. She touched and brightened so many lives. Ljubica was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on October 13, 1919. Both her parents, Branko and Anka Pekich were from Serbia, and she always considered Serbia her spiritual homeland. Her uncle, Count Cheda Mijatovich was a leading statesman and author. The family was very close to Nikola Tesla. Her siblings, Jim, Mary, now deceased, and Ann, who resides in Maryland, were and are, always dear and close to her heart. A longtime resident of Manhattan before moving to Dutchess County, Ljubica studied painting at Carnegie Mellon Institute, SUNY Purchase and The National Academy of Art. Her award-winning work has been widely exhibited in New York, Florida and Europe. She was an elected member of the London-based society of Serbian Writers and Artists Abroad. The works of Kandinsky, Cezanne, Vlaminck and Munch and other leading 19th and 20th century watercolorists informed her conviction that “color is the great articulative force.” Ljubica was active in public service since World War II. She was a founding director of the Njegos Endowment for Serbian Studies at Columbia University. At the end of World War II, she was in the Field Service Division of UNRRA and helped facilitate the movement of over two thousand people to overseas posts. Before this, she worked with Ruth Mitchell, sister of General Billy Mitchell, raising funds for Serbian orphans. After her marriage to her beloved Boris, a close associate of the legendary Yugoslav military leader, Gen. Draza Mihailovich, she remained active in Serbian affairs. After her husband’s death in 1984, she played a key role in the preparation of his memoirs of his World War II experiences, Last Words, which was published by Walker & Company in 1989. She then had his WW II diaries published in Belgrade, Serbia under the title of Final Report. Ljubica is survived by her three children, John Todorovich, Lina Todd and Mara Farrell, her grandchildren, Sonja Georgevich, Alexa Wilding, Daisy Farrell, Tallen Todorovich and Alexander Todorovich, and her two great-grandchildren, West and Lou Wilding Sullivan.
