Zoran Popovich

1931 - 2018

The Honorable Judge Zoran Popovich, of Pawleys Island, S.C., formerly of McKeesport, passed away Tuesday, March 20, 2018, at 87 years of age. Born Feb. 4, 1931, in Akron, Ohio, he was the son of the late Very Rev. Dr. Milan Gabriel and Zoritza Popovich. The judge's wife and mother of their four children, Helen Bodnar Popovich, preceded him in death May 17, 2010. They were married for 52 years. Judge Popovich was a 1948 graduate of McKeesport High School and was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in 1993. He was also an Air Force veteran, serving his country during the Korean War. A graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Pittsburgh, Judge Popovich also earned his Bachelor of Laws degree from the university's law school. He practiced law and became a councilman for McKeesport. With hand-painted signs and a door-to-door campaign, he would become the mayor of the City of McKeesport. As mayor, he was very proud of his work in cofounding the multicultural festival known as "International Village". He was its first chairman and was honored for his work there in 1990. The Allegheny Court of Common Pleas was his first judgeship. Perhaps his greatest achievements, though, came during his next terms as a Pennsylvania State Superior Court Judge. He "sat on the bench" from 1980 until retirement in 2001. He continued to work part-time until 2010 and was the recipient of the "Exceptionally Well-Qualified" rating by the Pennsylvania Bar Association. Judge Popovich is survived by his daughter, Julie Dawn (Pete) Jasper, of South Riding, Va.; and his three sons, Peter Alexander (Laura) Popovich, of Anchorage, Ky., Michael Dushan (Lori) Popovich, of Brussels, Belgium, and Nicholas Deyan (Heather) Popovich, of Charleston, S.C. The Judge was most happy when surrounded by his 11 grandchildren, Yllena, Leslie, Alex, Zachary, Grace, Perrin, Piers, Helen, Mila, Petra and Paul Zoran. Ray (Shirley) Popovich, the Judge's brother, resides in Greentree. Brothers, Dushan and Stoyan Popovich, and sister, Stoyanka Vranesevich, preceded him in death.
Friends and family will be received from 2 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 27, 2018, at STRIFFLERS OF WHITE OAK CREMATION AND MORTUARY SERVICES INC., 1100 Lincoln Way, White Oak, PA 15131, (Sue Striffler Galaski, supervisor, 412-678-6177). Services will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, March 28, 2018, in St. Nicholas Serbian Orthodox Church, 2110 Haymaker Road, Monroeville, PA 15146, with Father George Veselinovich officiating. Burial will follow in Mt. Vernon Cemetery in Elizabeth Township.
The Popovich family requests that remembrances be made to the Helen Bodnar Popovich Fund, Center for ALS Research, University of Pittsburgh, 3600 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213. www.alsresearchcenter.org. Condolences may be made at www.strifflerfuneralhomes.com.