Rina Skender

Rina Skender (Grzincic), aged 87 of Willoughby Hills, Ohio, passed away on July 27, 2026.

Born on December 24, 1938, under Italian occupation in Klana, Croatia, Rina and her family survived World War Two through two town-wide evacuations to nearby Italy under threat of bombing, only to return and survive house-to-house fighting resulting in the liberation of Klana from Nazi German occupation. After the war, she remembered things like Trumanova Jaja (Truman's Eggs) and the support coming from the United States. Under Communist Jugoslavija, she grew up tending to her family's farm, walking daily with her father to the local sawmill, eventually becoming a bookkeeper there, while taking night classes in Rijeka after high school. During these teenage years, she also helped to care for her niece Mariza and nephew Miren in Zagorje and a fellow Klanjica who lived in Postojna, Slovenija.

Being an outspoken anti-communist, she had an opportunity to go to Italy in 1959 because she had a birthright to Italian citizenship. So, for 9 months she lived and worked in a refugee camp in Trieste, Italy, working in the administrator's office due to her previous experience in bookkeeping and fluency in several languages. This experience resulted in a job offer to work in Naples, Italy, where she would spend over two years, staying in Capua for some of that time. Following her time in southern Italy, she took a job in the northern town of Bergamo, Italy to work for the Cuppellini Family, where she stayed again for nearly 2 years.

Sponsored by her Teta Anka and Ujac Jace Cucanich in Euclid, Ohio, she had saved up enough money after nearly six years working in Italy and bought a one-way ticket to the United States, where she landed in April of 1965. Not knowing any English, she started off at Pic n Pay and eventually got a job at General Electric at Nela Park. Learning English proved to be another turning point in her life as she met her future husband and love of her life, Davorin Skender (David as she would call him later in life), of all places in English night courses at Euclid High School. Thinking he was German and him thinking she was German with her blonde hair, they introduced each other in the language until they had to tell the class where they were from: both revealing their Croatian origins and almost guaranteeing a 1st date.

Not long after this chance encounter, they began dating and got married in 1968 at St. Mary Church in Collinwood, waiting so her uncle, Fr. Jerko Grzincic, could arrive in the United States to perform the wedding. Gaining U.S. citizenship in 1970, one of her biggest accomplishments to that day, she continued to work in various capacities at General Electric, first on the assembly line and then eventually supporting R&D teams there under John Engleking. She left her job after she became pregnant with her only child, Davorin (David Junior), and remained a homemaker from then on.

During this time, she became involved in the Italian community, especially in many Italian prayer groups, where friends became family. The many dinners, tomato canning nights, prayer group meetings, celebrations, and frequent pilgrimages to various Catholic shrines, were a part of her expressions of love and connection to so many wonderful people.

Though she was a member of St. Felicitas Parish throughout her life and went to Mass there so many times, The Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in Euclid, Ohio became almost like a second home to her as a beloved volunteer, notably singing in the choir. It was through the choir where she connected with the Filipino community, who became a part of Rina's deeply cherished friends, so many of them like family, with numerous breakfasts after Mass, the Santa Cruzan Masses, and the fellowship shared at the many BBQs.

Throughout all of this, her deepest connections were to fellow "Klanjci" who were the family and friends who came from Klana, Croatia. Of course, this family was not limited to just her relatives or Klana but expanded out to include Croatians from all parts: friends who were more like family than friends.

Chauffeur (Mario Andretti would have been jealous), world class chef (daily like a line cook, especially amazing for birthdays and holidays, and purveyor of pastries and tortes that would make any iron chef question their life choices), daily Mass goer at various parishes on Cleveland's east side (her favorite pews being up front where she would not be distracted from her longing for the Eucharist), daily Eucharistic Adoration attendee at St. Paschal Baylon, and the deliverer of hugs and kisses to all who needed a pick-me-up in this world. She always knew how to brighten someone's day with a caring smile (and hugs whether she knew you or not). Her home was open to everyone and with all of the religious articles, rosaries, holy images, and statuary, you may have thought you were walking into a chapel. She reminded us through her profound Catholic faith and devotion, that Jesus was always the most important person in her life no matter what and the Blessed Virgin Mary was right behind him on that list.

Rina wasn't out to make something of herself but rather to build community, a family, love them, and lead them to Christ.

Rina is survived by her loving husband, Dave (Davorin) Skender; their son, Davorin (Dave) Skender and his wife Joelle; and her cherished grandchildren, Juliana, Janica, Jeronim, Jenevieve, Jinny, and Joana. She also leaves behind her sisters, Ivana Androic (widow of Mirko), Teodora Medvedic (married to Tone), Paula Janson (married to Manfred), and Sister-in-Law, Vesna Skender; many nieces and nephews, including Mariza Zganjar (widow of Sinisa), Miren Androic (widower of Ksenia), Teodor Medvedic (married to Blazenka), Vanja Medvedic, Kristina Klaric (married to Sinisa), Dominik Medvedic, Natalia Primc (married to Jadran), Robert Grzincic, Andreas Janson (married to Daniela); many cousins, including Nada Brentar (married to Jovica), Dolores Boskovic (married to Miro), Neva Lenac (widow of Mladen), Karen Iskra (widow of Vito), Ana Brentar, Katija Delibegovic, Paulo Medvedic, Lorena Medvedic, Michael Ujcich, Eddy Ujcich (married to Jackie), Laura Cook (married to Joe), John Iskra (married to Annie), Danny Iskra, Deanna Iskra, Sandra Iskra, Tadej Primc, Mateja Mochtar (married to Marvilano), Tea Stimac (married to Davor), Damir Lenac, Edvin Boskovic (married to Jasna), Helen Boskovic, Savio Grzincic (married to Neda), Marianne Mitri, and Anthony Mitri and Teta Lucija Carovac (married to Tony).

Rina was preceded in death by her parents, Ivan and Marija Grzincic of Klana, Croatia; her brother, Tonic Grzincic (husband of the late Klara); cousins, Jana Stark (wife of the late Sope), Duse Ujcich (wife of the late Rudi), Frane Iskra (husband of the late Neda), Tone Iskra (husband of the late Irene), Rosemary Mitri (wife of the late Tony), Laura Janson, and Ruza Draskovic (wife of the late Perko) and many more cherished aunts, uncles, and cousins in Croatia.

The family will receive relatives and friends to pay tribute and celebrate the life of Rina on Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026, from 9 AM – 10AM at St. Mary Catholic Church, 15519 Holmes Ave., Cleveland, OH 44110. Mass of Christian Burial following at 10 AM. Rev. Fr. John Kumse, Celebrant. Burial will be in Croatia. In lieu of flowers, contributions in memory of Rina suggested to The Flower Fund at St. Mary Church (address above).

Arrangements entrusted to THE DeJOHN-FLYNN-MYLOTT FUNERAL HOME OF SOUTH EUCLID.