Jovan Ljubomir Djokovic

Jovan Ljubomir Djokovic, also known as Buki (nickname) or Deka (grandfather), left this world on Wednesday August 26, 2023, after an evening swim in Scottsdale, Arizona. He was born to Mara and Chetomir on September 21,1939 in Yugoslavia. When he was six years old, his father was killed in the war. A few years later, Mara married Ljubomir Djokovic, who lovingly and effortlessly adopted and raised Jovan. A precocious child, Jovan loved to explore and try new things.
He did well in school and earned his medical degree, becoming a physician. His required military service was thankfully short and uneventful. He completed his medical residency in Lausanne, Switzerland, where he met and married his first wife Lyndsay, an American studying to be a nurse. As the story was often told he was a young resident, she was a nursing student, and the "love bug" struck. Shortly after their wedding in Belgrade, they boarded a ship for the States. Jovan's first job was in Durham, North Carolina, in the medical center at Duke, where - although his English was proficient - the local accent was so thick that the only thing he understood in the hospital was "STAT!" After his time in North Carolina, Jovan and Lyndsay moved to Boston, Massachusetts, where he became an anesthesiologist and spent some time as an adjunct professor at Harvard Medical School.
The couple had three children, Jaquelyn, Jovan Jr, and Nicole. The family spent almost a decade in a suburb of Boston called Winchester. After the couple divorced in 1980, Jovan moved to Wisconsin.
There he met Sue, the woman he would love for the rest of his life. They shared similar passions; they socialized, traveled, enjoyed music, fine food and fine wine. They were together many years before they married on New Year's Eve, 1997. Together, they had a blended family of five children, adding Wendy and Michael to the family. There were many family trips that always provided fun and crazy memories.
Throughout the years they were blessed with fifteen grandchildren, through birth and adoption: Chays, Elyce, Niko, Mia, Theodore, Steven, Jenna, Kristopher, Daniel, Angel, Anna, Jovan, Charles, Valentina and Nicholas.
Jovan doted on and enjoyed his grandchildren immensely and was often seen sitting and watching chaos ensue amongst his grandkids. He was always there to tell stories of the past, listen to plans for the future and instill the importance of family.
He loved soccer and tennis, was always up for traveling to exciting destinations, exploring new restaurants, and remaining extremely generous. He lived his life to the fullest. After his beloved Sue passed in 2022, he departed Wisconsin for sunny Arizona. In his last year, he was active, loved to sit by the pool, soak up the sun and take a swim. He was surrounded by family and friends, taking outings to Costco, meeting new people at church, enjoying family dinners.
He was, in many ways, the heart and soul of the family. Now, his memory will spur his children, grandchildren, and friends to follow his example of living life to the fullest, always striving for personal dreams and knowing that anything is possible.