Robert Michael Milanovich

Robert "Bob" Milanovich, 78, died of heart failure on February 25 at John Knox Village in Pompano Beach, Florida. Retired since 2010, he had served 31 years as Director of Marketing and Resident Relations at John Knox Village. He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Rose Ada Haley Milanovich; their surrogate son Dennis Carrier of Loraine, Ohio; his sister Millicent Susens and her husband Dr. George P. Susens of San Francisco; and innumerable cousins and close friends.

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as an adolescent Bob demonstrated his industrious nature-by having two huge paper routes simultaneously, and his charm-by convincing his little sister to count the thousands of coins he collected weekly. As a harbinger of his long-term professional life Bob also worked as a teenager for a pharmacy delivering prescriptions to primarily the elderly in his suburb, Baldwin-Whitehall, nurturing a deeply-rooted concern for the elderly.

After graduating from Baldwin High School, he turned what might have been a routine two-year stint in the army, stationed at Fort Meade, Maryland, into an opportunity to travel throughout Europe and the United Kingdom. He wrote for the post newspaper and was often singled out as a young soldier with exceptional promise. On one memorable occasion Bob was asked by a General to accompany him to the Pentagon for a routine matter-which is where he was on the afternoon of Friday, November 22, 1963. The assassination of President Kennedy helped instill in him a deep sense of the unpredictability of life.

After marrying Rose, a nurse, Bob found his niche in the burgeoning field of life care communities and relocated to FL in 1979 to join the marketing team at John Knox Village. With his exceptional ability to remember-and sincere inclination to care about-the personal stories of everyone he met, he helped shape the Village and played a significant role in helping the Village to build and sustain a thriving presence both locally and throughout the US. He was active with the Pompano Beach Chamber of Commerce and with the Pompano Beach Historical Society. Bob was also a car aficionado and stellar fan of Florida's car culture.

Together Bob and Rose traveled extensively and continued to welcome their family and friends on many occasions to their homes in Pittsburgh, in South Palm Beach, in Pompano, and in Greene County, Pennsylvania where they built a log house. Their generous natures readily enveloped family and friends throughout their long, loving marriage.

A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, March 4 at 1:00 pm in the John Knox Village Auditorium in Pompano Beach FL. 954-783-4000 In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the John Knox Village Employee Scholarship Fund and/or the Resident Assistance Fund.