The heart of our home, the soul of our family, and our guiding light. You gave us everything, and now we carry your wisdom and love in our hearts, forever grateful for the life you shared with us.
Obituary
With deep sadness, we announce the passing of beloved wife, mother, and prominent Chicago ophthalmologist, Tatjana K. Pavlovic, MD, who departed peacefully at sunset on June 12, 2026, surrounded by her loving family in Chicago, IL.
Born in Novi Sad, former Yugoslavia, on April 2, 1947, and raised in Odessa, Ukraine, she showed an early interest in medicine. It was always her dream to become a doctor. Tatjana graduated from Odessa National Medical University and completed her speciality in Ophthalmology at the renowned Filatov Eye Institute in Odessa, Ukraine in 1974. She married the love of her life Zivojin (Zika) Pavlovic, MD, on a Danube riverboat shortly after. They celebrated their beautiful Golden Anniversary of 50 years of marriage in Belgrade, Serbia, in 2024.
After Tatjana immigrated to America, the country she enormously loved, the happy couple settled down and began growing their family in Chicago, IL. As a young mother of three children, she undertook the rigorous process of completing her medical examinations again, followed by a Preceptorship at Mercy Hospital, a fellowship in Ophthalmology at the University of Illinois, and passing her American Board Certification in Ophthalmology, demonstrating her incredible determination and commitment to her speciality. She went on to serve as an active-duty Major in the U.S. Army, receiving the Army Achievement Medal for Outstanding Services in Ophthalmology in 1983. Soon after, the family moved to Oak Park, IL, and Dr. Pavlovic established her private practice on 2719 W. Peterson Ave., where she served the local and immigrant communities with profound devotion for more than 40 years.
A dedicated global humanitarian, she touched many lives around the world, performing sight-saving cataract surgeries for the underserved in Central America, Africa, and Russia; forming a special and lasting bond with several communities in Honduras.
Tatjana was known above all for her love of life, generous heart, and compassionate soul; she had a warm, signature laugh that filled any room with joy. She loved the arts, culture, literature, music, and world travel. Swimming in Lake Michigan, skiing in Beaver Creek, CO, and frequenting concerts, operas, and symphonies were her favorite activities enjoyed with family and friends.
Devoted wife of Zika, loving mother of Natasha, Ellen, and George, his wife Noelle, grandson Cody, dearest sister of Milan Kalafatic and Olga Melnikov, aunt of Lena and Vika, beloved “soul sister” to Vera, Vesna, Sanja, and Jana. Cherished sister-in-law to Zoran and Anna Pavlovic, aunt to Aleksandar and Zoran Jr., kuma to Angelina (Russo) and Sava Ristanovic, and innumerous cherished extended family and friends that will miss her dearly. Tatjana embodied loving others with a sincere trust in the goodness of humanity and of God.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday, July 19th, 2026, from 1:00-5:00 pm, with the Eulogy at 2:00 pm, at the Cheney Mansion, 220 N. Euclid Ave. Please RSVP on this website. Tatjana’s wishes were no black attire. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to support her lifelong mission of restoring sight to the underprivileged. Organization: Vision for the Americas in Honduras for the Tatjana K. Pavlovic, MD, Operating Room. All necessary information about how and where to donate is located below.
Gallery
Memory wall
With Love, Marylou Kovac
Our heartfelt condolences go to Zika and the entire Pavlovic family. May your cherished memories bring you comfort, strength, and peace in the days ahead.
With deepest sympathy,
Issam & Liela Maatouk
Sincerely,
Z. Gusak and family
The world was the better place with her. She was so genuine, kind, warm, with heart of gold.
At first I came to her as a patient about 30 years. Since then we became not just best friends, but soulmates.
She always will stay in my memory
Can not believe there will be no more long engaging conversations, laughter.
I miss her dearly.
She brought so much warmth, optimism, happiness to my life.
Her genuine care, humanism shone brightly. Wherever she was there was full life, her interests were not limited by her profession, where she excelled but also art, music, travel, just about ever
For over 60 years, we moved through life together -first as teenagers, then as young wives, then raising our children, and eventually growing into the women we became. We were best friends, each other’s confidantes, and she was the one who kept us steady through everything.I will miss our multiple phone calls a day,our girls nights out at the opera or movies, celebrating our birthdays together and so many more moments we shared.
Mark and I will miss her tremendously and will always remember her with love and fondness. Zhika , Natasha, Ellen and George, we are holding you close in our hearts and keeping you in our thoughts. We are here for you always.
Love Vera and Mark Knobel
असतो मा सद्गमय। तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय।मृत्योर्मा अमृतं गमय। ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः॥
Jana Karasek
I will never forget her infectious laugh, the way she lit up every room, and how she would greet people with such open arms and pure excitement, as if she hadn’t seen you in years even if it had only been days or hours. She made everyone feel like cherished family the moment they walked in. Her presence made the world brighter, and her memory will continue to do the same.
Kathy, Joe, Noah,David, and Dahlia
Thinking of Zika and the entire family with much love.
The Krcek Family
Service
We will come together to remember and pay tribute to Tatjana Pavlovic, MD. While we mourn the loss of our dear Tatjana, we also aim to cherish the moments shared and the immense joy she brought into our lives. Your presence would mean a great deal to us during this time of remembrance and reflection.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday, July 19th, 2026, from 1:00-5:00 pm, Eulogy at 2:00 pm, at the Cheney Mansion, 220 N. Euclid Ave. Please RSVP below if you will be attending. No black attire is requested.
PARKING: You can find free street parking on Sunday at the venue. There are two pay parking lots nearby. The closest is at OPRF High School.
**A Note to Attendees: Tatjana was a big fan of the World Cup and loved watching matches and cheering on teams. To honor her and celebrate her, we will have a designated room at the mansion to have a viewing of the World Cup Final match.**
Donate
As a family, we have created a donation fund directly on this memorial page. All donations will go toward the funding of a new addition to the surgical center: the Tatjana K. Pavlovic, MD, Operating Room for the CCSHH clinic in El Progreso, Honduras.
Please use the Donate form to send your donation. All transactions are safe and secured by Stripe. If you would like to write a check, make it payable to: Vision for the Americas, Inc.
Address: 5312 Siesta Court, Sarasota, FL 34242
Memo line: Tatjana K. Pavlovic, MD, Operating Room
The Story
Vision for the Americas is a 501(C)3 nonprofit organization that collects funds through donations for the CCSHH clinic in El Progreso, Honduras. Centro Cristiano de Servicios Humanitarios de Honduras (CCSHH) was founded in 1997 as a place where people could go to receive free eye and dental care. For many years, Dr. Pavlovic traveled to the small clinic in Honduras as a volunteer doctor, performing hundreds of sight-saving eye surgeries. She also procured ophthalmology equipment for donation from doctors in the Chicago area. Since its small beginnings, the clinic has expanded and served over 500,000 people in the El Progreso and San Pedro Sula area.
Over the years, Dr. Pavlovic formed a special bond with the doctors, staff, and patients in El Progreso and San Pedro Sula, which moved her to volunteer at the clinic whenever possible. She would tell us about how rewarding it was to help make a profound difference in people's lives by restoring their vision. We would hear about how wonderfully she was treated and welcomed with such open hearts. She talked about her patients who would come down from the mountains of nearby Mico Quemado to see her. There were many stories. We knew as a family that the CCSHH clinic in Honduras would be the ideal organization for friends and loved ones to donate to in loving memory of Tatjana Pavlovic, MD.
The CCSHH El Progreso clinic is currently seeking donations to expand its surgical center with a new operating room for eye surgeries and procedures. Your donation will go directly toward the Tatjana K. Pavlovic, MD, Operating Room. The Pavlovic family has created a fund linked directly to this memorial website; all donations made to the Vision for the Americas nonprofit will be directed to the CCSHH clinic for a new operating room in Dr. Pavlovic's name.
For more information about the clinic and the nonprofit, visit their website: https://visionfortheamericas.org
**NOTE: Please do not donate directly from the Vision for the Americas website, as we have created a fund exclusively for the Tatjana K. Pavlovic, MD, Operating Room. Please use the Donate form or make a check payable to the address above. Thank you kindly, the Pavlovic family. Your donation is very much appreciated.
Français
Deutsch
Nederlands
Español
Português
Magyar
Русский
繁體中文