Dan Bratkovich
Драган Братковић
1923-2020


Dan Bratkovich of Tulsa, Oklahoma passed peacefully from this life on July 7, 2020. He was born on September 29, 1923 in Badnjevac, a town in the Šumadija region of Serbia, part of what was then known as Yugoslavia. He was the only surviving son of Jovan and Gvozdenija Bratkovich.

With the outbreak of World War II, he and his father joined the Royal Yugoslav Army as freedom fighters, known as Chetniks, under the command of General Draža Mihailović. Side by side they fought both Nazi occupiers and communist oppressors to take back their homeland. Dan was very proud of his service for the Allies in Europe. He and his father were stationed on Ravna Gora, a mountain located in Serbia, where they successfully rescued more than 500 U.S. airmen who were shot down behind enemy lines. Following the war, President Harry Truman honored these soldiers by lowering the U.S. flag to half staff over the White House, after General Mihailović was captured and executed by the communist regime that had taken over the country.

Toward the end of the war, as the Serbian army retreated across the Italian Alps, he nearly died from typhoid fever and frostbite exposure. Upon arriving in Italy, he and his father went to work for the British army. At the end of the war, he and thousands of refugees were sent to detention camps all over Europe. He spent three years at the refugee camp in Osterode, Germany before obtaining permission to immigrate to the US. While at that camp, he met Elizabeth Boj, the love of his life, who became his wife of nearly 70 years.

Upon his arrival in the US in 1949, he and his father settled in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. With the help of a sponsor, he got a job as a meat cutter at the Cudahy Brothers packing house. After a year, he sent train fare to Elizabeth, who had settled with her mother in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Dan met her at the train station in Milwaukee, and in 1950 they were married at the Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox Church on 3rd Street, which later became the Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox Cathedral at 51st and Oklahoma Avenue.

In 1951 Dan's father Jovan founded the Milwaukee Serbian Soccer Club. Dan played on this team for several years, helping them to two state championships. A son Nick was born to Elizabeth and Dan in 1951, and a daughter Lillian in 1954. Today, the family has grown to include a dear daughter-in-law, six grandchildren and two great granddaughters. One of the proudest days of his life came in 1956, when he became a citizen of the United States of America. There was never a weekend that Dan failed to stand at attention while raising the American flag while at the summer cottage on Lake Tichigan.

Dan was one of the founding fathers of the St. Nikola Serbian Orthodox Church of Cudahy, Wisconsin, for which he worked tirelessly for almost 50 years. He especially enjoyed working with the youth of the congregation, whether it was a folklore dance group, the church choir, or the soccer team. At the picnic grounds in Caledonia, or in the church kitchen, it was not uncommon to find him roasting lambs and pigs, and grilling ražnjići. He held various offices on the church board, at times even serving as president. He was solely responsible for organizing and managing the Serbian youth band known as Šumadija, in which his son was a member. With Dan doing the driving and hauling of equipment, the band travelled extensively throughout the midwest and Canada.

During his retirement, Dan stayed active digging in his garden, tending to his grapevines – both of which were the envy of the neighborhood – and serving on the board of directors of the Root River Center. But most important to him were his grandchildren. Grandpa or G-Pop, as they knew him, made memories for them that will last a lifetime. From trips to Wisconsin Dells and Great America, the museum, the zoo, movies, 4th of July fireworks, Green Park, swimming at the "Y", riding bikes, trips to Black Bear Soda, the Dairy Boy Club, school activities, soccer games, bowling, concerts, birthdays, holidays, weddings, and learning about their Serbian heritage, language, dance, Slava and church traditions ….. He was the best!

Dan and Elizabeth moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma in 2010 to be close to their son and daughter and their families, where they spent their final ten years together until his passing.

Dan is survived by his wife Elizabeth, their son Nick Bratkovich and daughter-in-law Nancy of Tulsa, their daughter Lillian Goelz of Tulsa, grandchildren Michael Bratkovich of Dallas, Texas, Andrew Bratkovich of Tulsa, Rachael Johnson (James) of Tulsa, Nikki Priest (Berkley) of Los Angeles, California, Daniel Konves (fiancee Kimberly Johnson) of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, Stephen Konves of Tulsa, as well as great granddaughters Taylor Bratkovich of Houston, Texas, and Abigail Johnson of Tulsa.

He is further survived by extended family, kumovi and friends in Wisconsin, California, Florida and Australia.

In lieu of flowers, gifts in his memory can be made to the following organizations:

Saint Nikola Serbian Orthodox Church
P.O. Box 564
Cudahy, Wisconsin 53110

Oklahoma Chapter of the National Alzheimer's Association
https://www.alz.org/oklahoma