Ilya Skendzic

August 2, 1940 - December 28, 2022

VISTA, CA —

Ilya Skendzic, dear father, grandfather, and husband, passed away surrounded by family, after a 2-year battle with gastric cancer.

Ilya was born in Stara Moravica, Serbia as one of 9 children and had a difficult start to life as his first 3 months were spent in a concentration camp separated from his siblings.the Hungarian Pushin family in the Serbian village of Tornjos saved Ilya and his mother from the camp, but he was orphaned at the age of 3 when his mother died in a house fire. The Pushin family became Ilya’s adoptive family. Ilya lived an idyllic life on the family farm, was well educated, and was even classically trained to play the clarinet in the city of Subotica.

Ilya began his career in carpentry as a framer in the shipyards of the Mediterranean. After immigrating to America in 1965, he became a general contractor whose skills were highly sought after. He lived a life of variety, seeking to travel the world and have adventures.

Of everything good in his life, Ilya was the proudest of his family, faith, and Serbian heritage. Nothing made him happier than family dinners, Serbian festivals, and going to the dog park with his dog, Maza. His absolute favorite pastime was playing chess at his favorite coffee shop, Vinaka Cafe, in Carlsbad. In retirement, Ilya focused his creativity on building to-scale models of modern homes and oversized wooden sculptures and continued doing so during his cancer treatments. Friends and family will always remember Ilya as happy, smiling, proud, and brave.

He is survived by his wife of almost 40 years, Lilian, and his children, Benjamin, Marina, and Sandra.

Funeral service: January 11, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Petka Serbian Orthodox Church, 1854 Knob Hill Road, San Marcos, CA 92069. Interment: 1:00 PM at Oak Hill Memorial Park, 2640 Glenridge Road, Escondido, CA 92027. A mercy meal will follow at St. Petka Church’s hall. For more information, please contact Marina at (760) 715-7270.

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