Katie Cetinich

Katie Cetinich

1911 – 2014Resident of Hayward

Katie Cetinich Passed away at the age of 103 after a brief sudden illness at Kaiser Hospital in San Leandro – with both her daughters Yvonne and Kathleen Cetinich at her bedside. Katie was born in West Oakland on October 24, 1911 to Ivan Knezovich and Matija Belaic Knezovich both newly arrived immigrants from Croatia-Yugoslavia.

Katie is survived by her loving grateful daughters, Yvonne and Kathleen Cetinich. Her husband Marko Cetinich passed away after only 10 years of blissful marriage, leaving her to support, guide, counsel, and love their 2 young daughters on her own.

She is predeceased by her parents Ivan and Matija Knezovich, her in-laws Vincent and Mary Cetinich, her husband Marko Cetinich, and 2 sisters Mary (Walter) Valerio, Eva (Anton) Salle, and 2 brothers Steve (Ruby) Knezovich and John (Lucille) Knezovich. Also, she has 3 nephews who predeceased her: Tony Valerio, Daniel Mihaly and Stephen Salle. Katie is also survived by many nieces and nephews and several great nieces and nephews. She is a Godmother to 8 different children, who now of course are grown men and women.

Katie held several jobs throughout her lifetime: The Knezovich Morning Star Grocery Store, The Oakland Peanut Factory, Liberty Potato Chip Company, Albers Carnation Milling Company, and then for her last thirty years before she retired she was the manager of John Filcich's Fruitvale Record Shop In Oakland, California.
In 1987 Katie retired at the age of 66, but still worked part time for her boss, John Filcich in his San Francisco Festival Record Shop where she was greatly exposed to music of all international countries.

Katie really enjoyed working with music, as she herself was a great performer in singing and dancing and in organizing committees to host Croatian cultural performances, dances and picnics. "Music" was the most popular word in our home, and just like prayers are joyful songs, so was music the foundation to our happy childhood.

After Katie's husband died from lumbar pneumonia in 1951, Katie and her daughters moved in with her Mother (Nana) Knezovich who encouraged us all to learn her native language (Croatian). Thanks to that, we became quite fluent and promised out dying Nana in 1956, that "we," her granddaughters, would take our mother, Katie, to visit her homeland. So in 1966, our family visited the Dalmatian Coast from which our grandparents emigrated.

Katie Cetinich's life was filled with loving friendships, "lifelong friendships" which as she would say, "keeps me going." She loved having company, visiting friends, attending all the family Baptisms, Communions, Graduations, Bridal & Baby Showers, cultural picnics, dances, and many Croatian Fraternal Union Conventions all over the United States.

Katie and her two daughters traveled 5 times to Croatia to spend time with over 200 cousins. She also would frequently visit Los Angeles, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Nevada to visit relatives or ailing close extended family friends.

Katie was a member of over a dozen clubs and organizations which she attended on a regular basis. She was the Secretary of her Croatian Fraternal Union Lodge 121 in Oakland for over 35 years. She was like a "Mother Teresa" Sunshine Lady in the Mobile Park where she lived, always visiting, comforting, & cooking for those who were under the weather. Katie drove her car til the age of 97, because both her "Angels," (as she called her daughters), were then retired and took Mom wherever she wanted to go.

Katie Cetinich is very well known as "Grandma Cetinich" in Hayward Schools, as her daughter Kathleen taught in the Hayward Unified District and had her Mother assist as a helper, especially during Holiday parties or stage singing and dancing performances. Six of her daughter's former students are now actually nurses and 2 more becoming nurses, and they visit our home frequently. Mom was known as Saint Bede's and Tyrrell School's "Grandma." She loved the students as much as their teacher's did.

Our Mother, Katie, was a devoted, dedicated, loving, caring parent who served and deserved the honor of being called. "two parents in one body." She had a very happy life surrounded with lifelong friends ,a job which brought her happiness with music, a religious faith that was so sincere and supportive, especially in times of sorrow over the loss of so many of her relatives and friends. God blessed her with a loving heart and spirit, and we her daughters, are so proud to say that this beautiful soul, Katie Cetinich, is our mother.

Thanks to her 2 outstanding physicians at Kaiser, Dr. Eric Brondfield and Dr. Scott Abramson, for the many, many years of being our Mom's Doctors. She always says, "they are my other Angels and my Sonny Boys!"
Family and friends are invited to attend the Visitation on Wednesday, January 14th, any time after 4PM. A recitation of the Rosary will be at 7PM the same night, Wednesday, January 14th, at Holy Angels Funeral & Cremation Center, located adjacent to Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, at 1051 Harder Rd., Hayward, California, 94542, telephone 510-537-6600.

On Thursday, January 15th, a Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Saint Clement's Church at 11AM (also adjacent to the cemetery grounds). Their address is 738 Calhoun, off of Mission Boulevard in Hayward.

Burial will follow at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in the Mausoleum of the Apostles, where Katie will be entombed and joined with her predeceased husband, Marko Cetinich. A reception lunch will be held after the funeral in the Saint Clement Parish Center, next door to the church where the mass was given.

Donations may be given to the Croatian Fraternal Union Angel's Fund, 100 Delaney Drive, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15235, in memory of Katie Cetinich.