With deep sadness we announce the sudden passing of Zlata Stubljar, on the night of Friday, March 7, 2025 at Trillium Health Partners – Mississauga Hospital.
Zlata Stubljar, devoted wife of the late Jure, and loving mother to Nick, John and the late Zdravko. Loving daughter of the late Jelka & Josip Hajsan, sister of the late Josip(wife Dragica), and the late Franjo(wife Milka).
She will be missed by nieces and nephews; Daniel(wife Vesna, son Philip), Dragica(husband Mirko, daughters Zlatica and Marina), Christine(husband Paul), Mary(husband Paul, sons Ethan and Ryan), Danica(sons Matthew, David, and Patrick), and Josip.
She will also be sorely missed by countless cousins and friends which there are too many to name as well as being missed by her cherished partner until her last days, Joe Svažić.

In 1943, the world was in a time of war and civil unrest, but out of the death and destruction an angel was born. That angel went by the name of Zlata, a golden name that over the years she would live up to and beyond, our beloved mama.

Zlata came from humble beginnings being born in the village of Breznik, in Zakanje, in county of Karlovac, Croatia.
Zlata was born in a simpler time, where people had to stick together, where hard work was required to live. Zlata worked in her family’s fields, tending to livestock, helping around the family home as well as lending a helping hand to everyone around her in need, and sharing everything she had with family and friends, all while attending school. Even though times were tough, Zlata found joy and life in everything she did. She would share stories of working the fields from morning to afternoon, then while walking home, she would sing with her friends, so loud that the whole village would hear them coming. Other fond memories include getting dressed up and going to the local village dances, where she and her friends would sing and dance all night long. During these times, the spirt of life, sharing and caring for others grew beyond her, and radiated out like the sun, where everyone was immediately drawn to her, and was better for it, so much so that it left a lasting impression.

As the sun does not shine every day, Zlata also endured dark times during her younger years, contracting and later recovering from rheumatic fever 4 times. Unfortunately, due to a lack of adequate medicine during these times, it would take a toll on her heart which she would carry with her for the rest of her life.
We believe this was God’s way of saying “Zlata, you have done my angel’s work, and now it's time to come home”, but because of Zlata’s stubbornness, and joy she got from helping people, and giving of herself, she fought and survived to stay with us longer.

In her late teens, Zlata would meet Jure Stubljar, who she would fall in love with and soon marry and giving birth to their first son Zdravko a few years later. After some time, they would move to Canada where they would establish roots in Toronto and later Mississauga, with the help of her loving brother Josip Hajsan who moved to Canada prior to her. Moving to Canada was not easy, Zlata did not speak the language nor was familiar with the customs of this foreign country.
However, this did not stop or slow down Zlata, the ball of energy that she was. As she did back in the village, her strong work ethic, positive outlook, and beautiful personality quickly helped her in all situations, soon after her 2nd son Miko(Nick) was born.
To make ends meet Zlata would acquire a job at Astra as a cleaner where she worked for 20+ years, during those years she gave birth to her 3rd son John.
During this period of Zlata’s life, her spirt of life and giving once again shined through like the sun’s rays, and everyone that had the pleasure of being touched by those rays, found themselves better for it.

Zlata’s spirt of life and compulsion to help others was a daily occurrence. During Christmas parties at her brother’s house, while the kids were playing with each other, Zlata would be smiling, singing, dancing, drinking, having fun, and always helping the people around her.

During her early years living in Mississauga, times were difficult. Before Zlata and Jure bought their first car, a Buick Regal, they would have to walk to local stores and wherever else they needed to go, reminiscent of her days in the village. One night while walking home from Dixie Mall in Mississauga during a cold night, our mother and father came across a teenager who was not dressed warmly and was carrying a fishbowl with a fish. Zlata upon seeing this person, immediately stopped, and fixed the teenager’s hat, to help warm him better, and buttoned up his clothes better so that the fishbowl was in his jacket while he was holding it. This moment of helping and giving to a stranger was a common occurrence in her life, where she took the time to make sure the stranger next to her had what they needed, before thinking of herself.
I (Nick) remember this as the moment I truly saw the type of person my mother was and would continue to be until her last days.

This may have been the same moment that God said, “Ok, now I need my angel to come back to heaven” and was not accepting my mother’s stubbornness. As with the rheumatic fever she suffered with as a child, Zlata would experience 4 great tragedies, in her adult life.

Soon after her son John was born, she suffered the 1st of 4 of her great life tragedies, with the loss of her oldest son Zdravko, in a car accident. This tragedy completely devastated her and nearly stopped her joyous and infectious rays emanating from her. With time, Zlata slowly found the strength and eventually returned to the loving and giving person she always was, with the help and support of her family and friends.

Within the next few years, she would experience the 2nd and 3rd of her great life tragedies with the loss of her younger identical twin brothers. Firstly, with her brother Franjo back home in Croatia, and then her other brother Josip in Canada. As like before, these 2 tragedies absolutely devastated her but once again she found the strength and perseverance to battle through the heart ache by being there for her family and giving selflessly.

The 4th tragedy suffered was the loss of her husband Jure. Following a workplace injury that prevented him from working, which caused a domino effect of health issues during his life, subsequently leading to stage 2 diabetes. During his yearlong battle in the hospital, Zlata somehow found the strength to juggle working a full-time job, taking care of her kids who were attending school at the time, all while spending nights & weekends by her husband's side, changing his bed sheets, washing and grooming him, tending to bed sores, and feeding him homemade Croatian food which she would prepare.
She spent so much time at the hospital that the nurses and doctors knew her by name and would marvel at the love and support she showed to her ill husband. Zlata would use hospital supplies to deal with her husband's needs, as well as other patients, as if she was a nurse at the hospital, all without an issue or any kind of reprimand from the hospital staff.

As with the teenager with the fishbowl, Zlata would demonstrate to the people around her what type of person she was and the good will she had for her family, and the people around her.

After her husband's passing, she again was devastated but then turned her attention to her 2 children. Zlata once again found the strength and joy to continue running her cleaning business. Her clients didn’t know what they were in for, because once again Zlata’ s spirt of giving and selflessness would shine through. Not only would she clean, but she would also prepare meals, baked cookies as well as her famous donuts for all. Zlata later in life also looked after the elderly and sick, when needed, truly God's angel.

Eventually God said, “enough is enough, time to come home Zlata”, but Zlata again was stubborn and chose to stay with all of us longer, until she had her way, and when she was ready to go back home.

After the loss of her husband and after she felt her children were okay, Zlata found a new person to share her remaining years in life with, Joe Svazic. As with her own family, she gave love and selflessness to Joe and his entire family, which was reciprocated and gave her a new lease on life. She was able to replace the pain experienced over the years with new and happy memories, from the many trips, parties, dinners, and countless other activities shared together. Along with Joe, Zlata's countless friends and family accepted Zlata in their lives(like it or not), and were grateful to do so, as represented in the countless pictures, parties, gatherings, and overall joyous experiences.

As all good things come to an end, as would Zlata's life unfortunately.
Zlata over the years contracted breast cancer which she beat. She contracted lung disease which she controlled. She broke her leg, which she fixed. She had issues with her knee which she fixed.
Maybe it was a result of giving so much of her heart and self over the years, that Zlata's heart became very weak, causing extreme shortness of breath, which required a double valve operation. As everyone knows, this operation did not go the way everyone planned or hoped. I guess God finally got his angel back.

Zlata, over her short life shared, laughed, cried, and argued with friends, family, and complete strangers all over the world wherever she went. With her countless acts of selflessness and her outgoing personality, all her interactions have resulted in loving and giving friends that would do anything for her.
Zlata’s life shows us all that angels do in fact exist, and that we were all once lucky enough to experience an angel on earth for the short time that we had her.

Nick and John will forever miss their Mama, but know she is in a better place now.

Friends may call at the Turner & Porter Peel Chapel, 2180 Hurontario St., (Hwy. 10, N of the QEW) on Friday from 1-4 & 6-9 p.m.
Funeral Mass will be held at Church of the Croatian Martyrs, 4605 Mississauga Rd., Mississauga, on Saturday March 15, 2025 at 10 a.m.
Interment Assumption Cemetery.
For those who wish, donations may be made to Food Banks Mississauga.