Nellie Mildred Bergstrom
Nellie Mildred Rhodes Bergstrom, 97, of Holmes Beach died Oct. 22 in Bradenton.
She was married more than 75 years to husband Harold and they spent many successful years raising a family and working side by side at Bergstrom Jewelers in downtown Minneapolis.
Upon retiring, their time was shared between Minnesota and Anna Maria Island.
She took great pride in caring for her beautiful gardens in both Minnesota and on Key Royale.
She loved music, playing the organ and dancing always gave her great joy.
Later in life, she started golfing and became an accomplished golfer at Key Royale Club in Holmes Beach, golfing weekly until her early 90s, with more than one trophy.
Her love of a good party, spontaneous adventures and laughter continues to live on in all her family.
The family would like to thank the caregivers at Freedom Village for their excellent care.
A private celebration will take place at a later date. The family requests memorial donations be made to the Shriners Hospitals for Children.
Mrs. Bergstrom is survived by daughter Nancy and husband Dave Rudberg; son John and wife Kris; granddaughters Anne and husband Tom LeRoy, Theresa and husband Tom Pearson, Kathy Nistler, Janet Haen, Katy and husband Mike Canetta and Megan and husband Jason Mengelkoch; great-grandchildren Nick LeRoy, Matt and wife Sami Leroy, Emily and Eric Pearson, Abby, Erin and Audrey Nistler, and McKenna and Bria Haen.
Vincent Ujcic
Vincent Ujcic, 97, of Holmes Beach, died Oct. 15.
Mr. Ujcic’s sister, Alma Jeronimo, was a longtime resident of Anna Maria and had encouraged him to buy his beach home in Holmes Beach in 1974.
He moved to the island in 1989 with wife Barbara.
He swam in the Gulf of Mexico every day into his 90s, loved and shared many beautiful island sunsets with friends and family.
His neighbors deemed him “The Mayor of 78th Street” and he placed a bench on the beach years ago for “All Sundowners” to enjoy.
He was born at home in Manhattan, New York, in 1924 to immigrant parents from Croatia and Czechoslovakia.
He graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School in 1942 and then joined the U.S. Army Air Force and became a flight engineer during World War II.
After the war, he used the GI bill to attend Brooklyn Polytechnic, graduating with a degree in chemical engineering.
He worked for Pfizer, Berkley Chemical, GAF and finished his career with Tarkett Flooring as plant manager in Whitehall, Pennsylvania.
He was an avid traveler and loved driving all over the United States to visit his family, friends and many national parks.
He crossed the United States numerous times and also traveled to Croatia, Italy, Ireland and Norway. His most notable road trips were his last at 90 and 91 — to Newfoundland, Canada and Alaska.
His longtime buddy Ralph, also age 90, was his travel companion.
He really loved baseball and after being a Brooklyn Dodgers and Mets fan for decades, he eventually adopted the Rays as his hometown team. He loved attending ballgames and spring-training games in Bradenton.
As a volunteer, he supported the efforts of Meals on Wheels and several Alzheimer support groups.
He was a devoted crossword puzzler and once said, “Life is a lot like a crossword puzzle. I find one word and it leads serendipitously to another!”
Though he did not reach his goal to be the last living veteran of WW II, we all aspire to live the long full life as he did.
A celebration of life will be held in early 2022.
Mr. Ujcic is survived by his daughters and sons in law, Barbara and John McIntyre, Susan and Jared Snyder, Karen and Bob Pepper; step-children and spouses Paul and Evelyn Dravis, Hilary Dravis and Andrew Stark and Celeste and Manny Mateus; and grandchildren Kelly, Jade, Collin, Delia, Devon, Michelle, Stephanie, Tyler, Avery, Conner and Morgan.