Albert John Brozovich

Albert John Brozovich September 24, 1925 – December 25, 2011 Albert John Brozovich was born in Denver, Colorado, on September 24, 1925, to Matthew and Katherine Brozovich who had emigrated from Yugoslavia to the United States. Albert was the youngest of five children, all of whom preceded him in death. His siblings were Joseph, Matthew, Helen, and John. His father, Matthew, was a ""laborer"" who passed away when Albert was only seven years old, leaving his mom as the primary breadwinner with the children earning extra income however they could to help support the family. Notwithstanding their impoverished living conditions, their strong Catholic faith and love for each other (as well as the generous support of friends and neighbors in the Globeville community) helped them survive some rather difficult times. Albert's childhood was like that of most other young boys of his generation—he loved playing sports and other games, visiting friends, teasing his sister Helen, and getting involving in school activities. He and his brothers never let their economic condition get in the way of having a good baseball game. All they needed was a vacant dirt field (weeds and stickers included at no extra cost), a baseball, household items or neighborhood artifacts as bases, and then it was game on! His mom Katherine made good use of her considerable domestic and matriarchal skills to make sure the family always had clean clothes and a warm meal, minded their manners, and always kept holy the Lord's Day. While birthday and Christmas gifts were very modest by today's standards, the children were nevertheless extremely grateful for the simple gifts of a new pair of socks, a secondhand bicycle, or the mouth-watering treat of the Croatian pastry known as potica (po-teet'-zuh). Albert's parents were married at St. Joseph Polish Catholic Church. Albert grew up in a house right across the street from St. Joseph Polish (where I-70 is now). Holy Rosary Catholic Church was established in 1919, a mere block away from St. Joseph Polish, because ethnic pride demanded that Croatians & Slovenians have their own separate church and school. (Many would scratch their heads at learning of this phenomenon, but it certainly was reminiscent of the ethnic diversity that was prevalent in the Globeville community.) Albert attended Holy Rosary Grade School for grades one through eight, benefitting from the demanding, yet caring, teaching style of the Dominican Sisters. He also took great pride in being an altar server under the watchful eye of then-pastor Father Judnic. Albert attended the now-defunct Annunciation High School where he, his brother John (who was later drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals), and fellow Globevillians anchored a prolific baseball team that could compete with any high school team and even some semi-pro teams in the metro area. They were so good that jealous competitors crudely dubbed them the ""River Rats"" (refering to the Platte River that runs through the area), a nickname that only inflamed their competitive spirit resulting in lopsided victories over the other high schools that they played. Albert joined the US Navy in June 1943 at the tender age of seventeen, inspired to serve like so many of his contemporaries after becoming enraged by Hitler's death march across Europe and Japan's devastating attack on Pearl Harbor. He served as a Machinist's Mate working in the intensely hot engine room aboard the destroyer USS Vesole (DD 878), whose primary mission was to be an ""escort"" for high-value aircraft carriers like the USS Lexington, USS Boxer, and the USS Intrepid. Known affectionately as ""tin cans,"" ships like the Vesole formed a protective barrier around the carriers. They were the first line of defense for the floating airfields against the deadly assaults of the Japanese submarines and fearless kamikaze pilots. Albert told agonizing stories of one kamikaze attack which disabled his ship forcing some of the crew into the open waters where they were savagely killed by sharks. Those who survived the shark-infested waters became marooned (Albert among them) on a neighboring island where they awaited rescue by friendly forces. This experience was so traumatic that Albert had nightmares throughout his life. Heroic and selfless service like Albert's contributed to the hard-earned reputation of being part of the ""greatest generation that ever lived."" Upon his discharge in October 1946, Albert returned to Globeville where he did what any red-blooded, young, handsome American male would do: try to find a job and have a social life keeping an eye on all the local beautiful women, a trait firmly imprinted on the DNA of all Brozovich males. Through mutual acquaintances while working at the Cudahy Meat Packing Plant, Albert met and married the love of his life, a beautiful young lady by the name of Tillie Wolf from Brighton. They exchanged vows on November 19, 1949. Soon thereafter, he took a job as a machinist with the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad, a career which lasted 37 years until his retirement in March 1986. In 1952, Tillie and Al had their first child—a baby boy they named Tom who, as his life unfolded, became a source of great pride for his dad because he, too, would later serve in the US Navy not as a ""swabbie"" but as an officer who would have a higher standard of military life (a higher standard of life was something the parents of all baby boomers wanted for their children). In 1957, Albert was blessed with the birth of a darling little girl whom they named Theresa in honor of Saint Theresa, the Little Flower. Affectionately known as ""Teri,"" she instantly became the apple of everyone's eye. Teri's later accomplishments as a supervisor in the area of freight forwarding and logistics with Continental Air Micronesia in Hawaii were also a source of tremendous pride for the couple. In June 1972, they welcomed Tom's bride Cindi to the family. Cindi gave birth to Al's two granddaughters—Kristin in 1975, and Laurel in 1978. Some of Albert's happiest moments were spent visiting the kids in San Diego while Tom was still on active duty, and watching them grow into lovely young ladies. This joy was matched by several trips to Hawaii when they visited Teri and not only took in all of the tourist delights inherent to the islands, but cheered Teri on during competitive softball tournaments hosted by Continental. Albert & Tillie celebrated 50 years of wedded bliss on November 19, 1999, a blessed event shared by numerous family members and friends. Albert had several close brushes with death, including a ruptured abdominal aortal aneurysm, triple coronary bypass, and suffered long term with prostate cancer; but none of these proved as devastating as the loss of his soul mate and beloved wife Tillie who succumbed to brain cancer on March 19, 2009. They would have been married 62 years this past November. Albert was never the same after the death of his wife. For the next two-and-one-half years, he suffered from depression, ever-worsening dementia, and various other life-compromising conditions. Albert had been living at the Sandalwood Manor Nursing Home since March 2011; he started receiving hospice care from the St. John's Hospice care team in November 2011; and passed to new life with his Lord and Savior on Christmas Day, 2011. Albert is survived by daughter Teri; son Tom and his wife Cindi; grandchildren Kristin (Derek) Jantz and Laurel (Mark Seferian) Brozovich; great-grandchildren Eisley and Aurora Jantz, and Laurel and Mark's baby due to be born in July 2012; and various in-laws, nieces, nephews, and other relatives. Rosary followed by Funeral Mass Thursday, December 29 at 10:30AM at Saint Joseph Polish Church, 517 East 46th Avenue. Interment at Mount Olivet Cemetery. Please share your memories of Albert and condolences with his family by selecting the ""sign guestbook"" link.