Maurice Velcich

Maurice Velcich, age 68, passed away on January 9, 2021. Maurice was born in the small village of Predoscica on the island of Cres, Croatia. He immigrated to the United States in 1967, along with his parents and siblings, and often recalled being awed by the impressive site of the Statue of Liberty as their ship, Klek, pulled into New York Harbor. After a short stay in New York, the family flew out to California, which became their new permanent residence.

Maurice graduated from San Rafael High School in 1971, and then studied accounting at Golden Gate University. Maurice worked at Romulus Restaurant as a waiter and bartender for many years. He also worked at a number of other Marin establishments over the years, including Strawberry Joe’s and Tony Roma’s. Maurice enjoyed building friendships with his customers and making them laugh. After retiring from the restaurant business, Maurice joined the Safeway team in Terra Linda.

Maurice was a diehard sports fan for the Bay Area teams, especially the San Francisco 49ers. Maurice became a 49er season ticket holder in 1978, and missed very few home games throughout the 1980s and ‘90s. He was there for “The Catch,” and attended the Super Bowl in Miami in 1989 to witness the last-minute drive, resulting in a touchdown and 49ers victory.

After suffering a stroke in 2015, Maurice moved to Brookside Skilled Nursing, where his love of sport prevailed. He continued to enjoy watching sports with his friends at Brookside, his brother Tony, and friend John.

Maurice is survived by his loving mother, Dinka Velcich; sister Laura Balde and her husband Marinko; brother Tony Velcich and his wife Bonnie; as well as his nieces, nephews, and grandnephews. We will miss Maurice’s kind and generous spirit and warm laugh. A donation site in Maurice’s memory has been set up at: http://www2.hear t.org/goto/Maurice_Velcich.