Obituary of Pavle Stefanovski

Pavle Stefanovski, age 85, of Erie, passed away at home on Sunday, April 5, 2015. He was born on June 30, 1929 in the village of Dragosh in the country of Macedonia. He was the son of Svetko Kostef, who passed away in 1990, and Petra Gaskovski Kostef, who passed away in 1931 shortly after his birth, leaving him to be raised by his grandmother and older siblings. At the young age of eighteen, Pavle entered the police academy of Macedonia where he served as a policeman for sixteen years. He married his wife, Krsta Petrovski, in 1951, and they were blessed with three children. In pursuit of the American Dream, Pavle, Krsta, and their children immigrated to the US in 1966 on the Queen Mary. After landing on Ellis Island, they took a train to Erie, PA where they made their home and indeed made their dream a reality. Pavle worked various jobs as a laborer while raising his family in a loving, caring environment. He enjoyed working in his garden, listening to Macedonian music, and above all else, spending time with his family and friends. In addition to his parents, Pavle was preceded in death by his stepmother, Bosna, in 1965, one brother, Rade Kostef, and a sister, Lenka Kostef Ristovski. He is survived by his devoted wife of 63 years, Krsta, daughters, Donna Stojanovski (Dimitrije) of Syracuse, NY, and Vera Dimitrovski (Ivan) of Erie, and one son, Nick Stefanovski, M.D. (Laura), also of Erie. In addition, he leaves behind loving grandchildren: Peter Stojanovski (Sonya) and Stefo Stojanovski (Emilia), both of Syracuse, Kiro Dimitrovski (Krissy) of Erie, Diana Dimitrovski of Pittsburgh, Michael Dimitrovski, Sophia, Katharyn, Alexander, and Olivia Stefanovski, all of Erie; great-grandchildren: Nadia and Ava Stojanovski, Victoria Stojanovski, and Kiro Dimitrovski, Jr., and many nieces and nephews. Friends and family may call at the Dusckas-Martin Funeral Home and Crematory, Inc., 4216 Sterrettania Rd. today, Tuesday, April 7 from 4:00 p.m. until time of a Trisagion Service at 8:00 p.m. The Funeral Service will be held at the Assumption Greek Orthodox Church, 4376 West Lake Rd., on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m., with the Rev. Theofanis Nacopoulos officiating. Interment Laurel Hill Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Great Lakes Hospice, 1700 Peach Street, Erie, PA 16501. The family would like to extend their heartfelt thanks and deep appreciation to Great Lakes Hospice, in particular, Pavle's nurses, Susan, Tom, and Sally, and nurses' aide, Veronica, for the wonderful care they gave him, as well as the many friends, family, and neighbors who helped throughout this difficult time.