Tatjana Grgich

Tatjana Grgich, nee Cizmic, died on Sept. 2, 2020, at home with her family by her side. Born in 1928 in Zadvarje, Yugoslavia, Tatjana was the former wife of Miljenko (Mike) Grgich, the mother of Violet Grgich (Colin Shipman), and the grandmother of Noel Grgich-Shipman. She is survived by her sister, Vjekoslava Cizmic Sturmer, and many nephews and nieces both in the US and Croatia. A deeply devout Catholic, Tatjana touched everyone she met with her extraordinary kindness, generosity, charm, style and vivacity. She was renowned for her extraordinary culinary skills, and regaled everyone with her Croatian specialties, including her famous Cheese Sticks, which she used to make for visitors to Grgich Hills Estate in Napa Valley. Photography was a passion for her and she was rarely seen without at least two or three cameras by her side. A founding member of WiRED, a non-profit human support agency, Tatjana worked tirelessly to improve the lives of disadvantaged populations in her native Croatia, as well as in Serbia and Bosnia. For thirty years, she served as president of the Tatjana Grgich Foundation, dedicated to projects that assist youth from Croatia and other high-conflict regions of the world. Based in the Napa Valley, her foundation supports all manner of local and national charitable organizations, providing educational, medical and spiritual resources to families and individuals. As a member of the Board of Regents of The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, since 1986, she helped to inaugurate national fund-raising events that have raised nearly $40 million in scholarships for deserving students. Tatjana was also a board member and benefactor of the Pacem in Terris (Peace on Earth) Institute at La Roche College in Pittsburgh, Pa., from its inception in 1993, bringing students from war-torn areas to learn each other's cultures, along with conflict resolution skills. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to support the wide-ranging charitable projects of the Tatjana Grgich Family Foundation (violetta@grgich.com); the St. Helena Catholic Church (sthelenacatholicchurch.org); or the Croatian Scholarship Fund (San Ramon, croatianscholarship.org)