Josip Vuglac, better known as “Joe”, passed away on July 1, 2020 at the age of 88.

Born in the small village of Bedenec, Croatia in the pastoral farmland of Zagorje, Joe left home after his time in the army to become a coal miner in Essen, Germany. After a year, Joe (now with a wife and son) moved to Canada. There he joined his brother-in-law as a miner in a Timmins, Ontario gold mine. After the tragic death of his brother-in-law in a mining accident, Joe decided to take his family to Toronto. For 23 years, he worked for General Electric. Once retired, Joe couldn’t sit still. He worked for a home improvement company and then an office development, maintaining an office complex.

Joe was passionate about his homeland. He was a member of several Croatian social clubs, participating in Croatian politics, regularly attending functions and donating to charities.

Joe was pre-deceased by his brother, Stjepan and his sisters, Teresa, Bara, Vera and Slava. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Mary, his two sons, Zvonko and Steve, and his sisters Anka and Mara.