Eva Maria Anna Stamenovic passed away on January 31st, 2023 in the loving arms of her husband and son.

Born in Prague in 1948, Eva was the third of eight children born to Frantisek, an author, book editor and a book translator, and Jarmila, who worked as a librarian in a food research institute and a hospital hematology department, while also raising eight rambunctious children. From a young age, Eva was the gentle child of the family, but she was also determined. As a girl she formed dedicated friendships — with Zlata, Lida, Jana, Hanka, Dana, and later Maruska — ones that would last for her entire lifetime. Eva was always a strong student and graduated with a degree in economics from the University of Economics in Prague.

In the summer of 1979, she fled communist Czechoslovakia with her sister Helena, landing in Vienna until they were finally granted asylum in the United States, and they flew to New York City in May of 1980. Shortly thereafter, they settled in Minneapolis, Minnesota and it was there, working as an administrative assistant at the University of Minnesota, that Eva met a young Serbian graduate student, Dimitrije Stamenovic.

The two were wed in July of 1982 and the next year moved to Boston, Massachusetts, so that Dimitrije could complete his post-doctoral studies at Harvard. There they built a life together, and Eva — a quick study of Serbian language and culture — added Tanja and Ivana to her circle of beloved friends.

In 1985 Eva gave birth to their son, Marko, who would keep them on their toes for the next 18 years or so, before pursuing a master's degree in electrical engineering and building a career in machine learning. Being a mother came naturally to Eva, and her unwavering support and love can be traced through all of her son's successes.

Eva began work at the Harvard School of Public Health in 1989 and in 1994 she became a senior statistical programmer, analyzing clinical trials of early AIDS treatments. In 2003 she took a job at Genzyme where she would continue to put this expertise to work for the next 14 years, until she retired as a principal analyst in 2017. Here, too, Eva formed lasting friendships with her colleagues, and was especially close to Wendy, Nancy Ann, Eunice, and finally Casey, who honored Eva by asking her to be her daughter Delaney's Godmother, a role that she cherished.

Upon retirement she enjoyed traveling frequently with Dimitrije to their homes in Prague and Belgrade, and in the past year she had taken immediately to her new role of Babička, spoiling her grandson Luka with aplomb.

Eva had a stoic demeanor but she also had a great sense of humor. She shared a special bond with her sisters, and no one could make her laugh more than her brothers. She was fiercely devoted to everyone she loved, and derived so much joy and satisfaction from taking care of them. Her trips home to Europe in the 1990's often involved the biggest suitcases known to man, bursting with anything her family and friends might need. She would always serve a spoonful more than what you asked for, and would never let you go home without leftovers. She had an uncanny ability to always have a fresh pita on the counter, no matter the time or place.

Eva was preceded in death by her mother, father, and older brother Vladimir. She is survived by her other siblings: Helena, Stepanka, Vojta and his wife Zdenka, Honza and his wife Vera, Pavel and his wife Eva, her brother Petr, and her many, many nieces and nephews. She is also survived by her extended Serbian family, including Brana, Pavle, and Milena Stamenovic, Radmila and Ksenija Komljenovic, and Jovana Bracanovic, who thrilled Eva by naming her daughter after her. Though her loved ones were spread out all over the world, Eva loved keeping up with their lives and accomplishments, and was endlessly proud of them all. And lastly, she is survived by her husband Dimitrije, her son Marko and his partner Christine, and her grandson Luka. Without question, they were the lights of her life.

Friends and family are invited to a funeral mass at Saint Louis and Zelie Martin Parish, 185 Summer Street in Somerville, at 10am on Monday, February 6th. A brief reception will follow at the Stamenovic home, a few blocks away. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Cancer Society or American Heart Association.