John Milan Pavkovich

November 5, 1933 – January 2, 2025
John Milan Pavkovich died peacefully in Cupertino with his family by his side on January 2, 2025, of complications from heart failure. He is survived by his daughter Sioux Pavkovich and his son David Pavkovich. He was preceded in death by his wife Barabara in 2019. John had resided at The Forum at Rancho San Antonio for the past five years, where he made many new friends and was visited frequently by his children. Spending time with his family and friends was a source of joy in John's life.
John was born in Toledo, Ohio to Peter and Laota Pavkovich on November 05, 1933. He had a younger brother Robert, who preceded him in death. John grew up in Toledo and attended The McKinley School and DeVilbiss High School. He then attended Union College in Schenectady, New York, where he received a Bachelor's degree in 1955. After his graduation, John moved to Palo Alto and earned both a Master's Degree and a PhD from Stanford in 1963. He took a job at Sylvania as a Tube Engineer, where he worked for three years. John's next, and last, job was at Varian, where he enjoyed a remarkable 50+ year career, finally retiring in 2017. During his tenure, he amassed myriad achievements, including the original patent for CT Reconstruction, 3rd Generation. John's original patent was referenced in more than 40 other patent applications.
While at Stanford, John met his future bride Barbara Luebke through friends in1957. They were married in 1960 and lived happily together for 59 years until her death in 2019. John was devoted to the choir at Menlo Presbyterian Church (now Menlo Church), where he sang for over 30 years. He was also an enthusiastic member of the Cardiac Therapy Foundation (now HeartFit for Life), where he exercised 3 times a week for more than 20 years. He made wonderful friends in both groups, many of whom were able to visit him during his final days. He also loved spending time at the Lake Tahoe cabin he and Barabara shared with their best friends Pat and Glen. He enjoyed doing home projects and became an avid reader due to Barbara's influence. He loved going to family reunions in Indiana and attended every year he could to stay connected with his very large extended family there.
A memorial service for John will be held at Menlo Church (950 Santa Cruz Avenue, Menlo Park) at 2:00 pm on Friday, March 28th. In lieu of flowers, Donations can be made to HeartFit for Life (4000 Middlefield Road, Suite G-8, Palo Alto, CA 94303-4739) or a charity of your choosing.