Vesna Skaljic Obituary (1966

Vesna Skaljic, 58, of Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood, passed away after an 18-month battle with cancer. Born in Tuzla, Bosnia, Vesna graduated from Gimnazija Meša Selimović (Gymnasium "Mesa Selimovic") high school and earned her Associate’s Degree in law from the University of Sarajevo. Her family fled Bosnia in 1994 for Croatia, where she translated for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). The family was relocated to Salt Lake City, Utah, where they were settled by the generosity of the Mormon community. Vesna worked as a case worker for Catholic Community Services of Utah, in the refugee settlement program. After fourteen years in Utah, Vesna returned for a few years to Bosnia with her five-year-old daughter, helping victims of domestic violence. After returning to Chicago, Vesna found a position at the Cook County Public Guardian’s office as an office administrator for a judge. She kept a quiet life to herself and had a very strong work ethic, taking the CTA downtown in freezing cold up until ten days before her death. Vesna was a wonderful mother- she took Zara on many exciting trips, including Disney, Caribbean and the Croatian Coast. Vesna was a joy to be around. She loved helping people and had deep compassion and empathy in and beyond her professional life. Her favorite place in the world was the Adriatic coast in Croatia. She loved nothing more than having a beer on the beach. Vesna is survived by her daughter Zara Iman Skaljic and brother Damir (Ina) Skaljic, all of Edgewater, and her mother Suhra (the late Osman Talic) Hodzic of Bosnia. She is preceded in death by her father Fazlija Skaljic. Services are private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her name to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. https://www.stjude.org/. Arrangements by Inclusive Funeral Care, 773-370-2959 or www.InclusiveFuneralCare.com.