Todor S. "Ted" Potkonjak

Todor S. "Ted" Potkonjak a longtime resident of Waukegan Funeral services for Mr. Todor S. "Ted" Potkonjak, 86, will take place at 10 a.m. Friday, at St. Basil of Ostrog Serbian Orthodox Church, 27450 N. Bradley Road, Lake Forest (Mettawa), where he will lie in state from 9 a.m. until the time of the services. The V. Rev. Milan Savich will officiate. Interment will follow in the St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Monastery Cemetery, Route 21, Libertyville. Visitation will be from 5 to 9 p.m., with a Pomen (wake service) at 7 p.m. today, at Wenban Funeral Home, 320 E. Vine Ave., Lake Forest. Born April 20, 1920, in Divoselo, Gospic in the Lika region of Yugoslavia, he passed away Friday, June 16, 2006, from complications of a stroke. He attended the Kraljica Marija (Queen Mary) Military Academy of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia Royal Army and had planned to make a career in the military. He was serving in the Royal Yugoslavian Army at the outbreak of World War II and was captured by invading German forces while defending his homeland. He spent four years in German POW camps including Stalag's 17B and 12A. In 1945, advancing U.S. Army forces liberated his camp. He later went into the service of the United States Army. At the end of World War II, Yugoslavia fell under a communist regime and Todor, a staunch anti-communist, refused to be repatriated there. He remained in Germany, much of that time spent in a Displaced Persons Camp, until August 1949, when he came to the United States. He settled in Waukegan, where he remained for the rest of his life. His first employment was at the Greiss-Pflegler Tannery in Waukegan. After almost a year there he became employed by the Johns-Manville Corporation, where he spent more than 35 years. He proudly became a citizen of the United States in 1956. Todor was a former member of the St. Nikolas Serbian Orthodox Church, Waukegan. He was a founding member of that parish. He served on the church board there including five years as the board president. He was a tireless worker there and also served as the bingo chairman there for many years. At the time of his death, he was a member of St. Basil of Ostrog Serbian Orthodox Church in Lake Forest (Mettawa). He was a member of Serb National Federation Lodge #74 St. Sava, where he served on the board as secretary for many years, a member and past board member of Serbian Brothers Help-Lake Villa Chapter and a member of the Johns-Manville Quarter Century Club. He had been a member of the International Chemical Workers Union AFL-CIO Local 60. He looked forward to and enjoyed having breakfast every Tuesday morning with the Johns-Manville Retirees Breakfast Club. "Work never hurt anyone!" was his favorite saying and he was known for his strong work ethic, never shunning hard work - he was always on the go! He really enjoyed helping people. Many people, whom upon having learned of his death, have related incidents in which he touched them in one way or another, all unknown to us. He was also an avid sports fan. He enjoyed all sports but he especially loved baseball. Baseball was not a sport that was played in his homeland, but he studied it and knew the game as well as anyone that grew up with it. He was a big Dodgers fan. He also enjoyed watching professional wrestling (no it isn't fake). In fact, it was on the TV in his hospice room when he passed away. Todor is survived by his loving wife of 50+ years, Mary (nee Pavletic); children, Theodore (Diana) of Antioch, Marianne (Ron) Johnson of Mesa, Ariz., Elena (Rick) Clymer of Green Oaks and Steven (Kim) of Loveland, Colo.; sister, Sofia (Milan) Maodus of Windsor, Ontario; and the grandchildren he cherished, Natasha and Jeremy Johnson, Sam, Andrea and Joe Potkonjak, Jack and Ellie Potkonjak, and Maria Clymer. Additionally, more family, kumovi and many friends survive him. He was preceded in death by his parents, Simo and Jelena; brothers, Stevo and Bogdan; and sisters, Ljuba and Mira. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory to St. Basil of Ostrog Serbian Orthodox Church or the American Red Cross, would be appreciated. For information, 847-234-0022.