In Memoriam
Below is the death notice of Marinika Beaver, Mother of Samuel Beaver, Class of 2017 and Gabriel Beaver, Class of 2020. Please keep the Beaver family in your prayers.
MARINIKA BALNOZAN BEAVER, age 56. Most amazing mother of Samuel (Haily) and Gabriel; devoted daughter of Lazar and Livia Balnozan; Sora to Speranca Simic (Dragutin); Tetka to Marina, Magdalena (Kenneth), Aleksandar (Madeline) and Nikola (Renee); beloved cousin of Maja Sanic; best Tetka to Isabella, Anastasia, Emilia, Luka, Aleksandar, Gabriela, Lazar and Elena. What does it mean to live a full life? Some people might answer this question with different big life events: weddings, graduations, births, and vacations. But if you asked my Mother, she’d tell you that it was in the little things: bringing cupcakes to school for Sam & Gabe’s birthdays, walking at the metro parks and smiling at every person that walked by, holding space to truly listen to her friends, not to respond, but to understand. My mother by no means had an easy life. Speaking no English and being thrown into the American school system, being a single mom, or the 18 month battle against brain cancer. But she wouldn’t want it any other way. She showed kindness, love, empathy, and joy to Sam and Gabe from a young age. Not through her words, but through her actions. When she brought a struggling single mom to our family’s Mother’s Day celebration. Answering the phone at 2am to talk to her son going through relationship problems. Or dancing by the lake, singing and chanting songs, hugging trees on her walks. Our Mom didn’t explain to us her Purpose in life. She lived it since the day she touched this Earth. My Mom wouldn’t tell you not to cry. She wouldn’t tell you not to grieve. She would tell you to feel what you feel. Whatever is in your gut & intuition, feel that. If you feel like smiling, smile. If you feel sad, be sad. If you feel gratitude, express it. This is a celebration of my mothers life. I recently heard this question in a podcast:
“Are you a human being, having a spiritual experience? Or are you a spiritual being having a human experience?” Our Mom was, and is, a spiritual being who had a human experience. Look around. She’s in the sun, the lake, the clouds, trees, the air, the flowers…she’s always and forever with us. Funeral service at St. Sava Serbian Eastern Orthodox Church, 2151 West Wallings Rd., Broadview Heights, Thursday, July 6, 2023 at 12 noon with V. Rev. Mijoljub Matic officiating. Interment St. Sava Cemetery. Friends received at THE RIPEPI FUNERAL HOME, 5762 PEARL RD. (AT SNOW RD.), WEDNESDAY 5-8 P.M. with a Pomen service at 7 p.m.
Posted on: July 7, 2023
You can view a list of all St. Ed's Alumni who have passed away on our website.
Make a Gift in Honor of Marinika Balnozan Beaver
St. Edward High School is humbled by the generosity expressed by our community. Commemorative gifts enable us to empower our students with the knowledge, skills, and Holy Cross values to grow into Christ-like servant leaders. To make a memorial gift, click below.
