Kosta Milos Papich

Kosta Milos Papich, 93, of Bath, Ohio and Naples, Florida, passed away peacefully in his home in Naples on January 20, 2023. January 20th is also a very important day in the Serbian Orthodox Religion, Saint John, and Kosta was extremely involved in the Serbian Orthodox Church. On July 14, 1991, Kosta M. Papich was honored for his dedication and devotion to the church and all Serbian people. He received the Order of Saint Sava – the First Degree, the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a lay person of the Serbian Orthodox Church.This esteemed award was granted by the decision of the Serbian Patriarch Pavle and the Holy Synod of Bishops in Belgrade, Serbia. Kosta M. Papich was born in Novi Sad, Yugoslavia (Serbia) on May 19, 1929. He was a graduate of the University of Belgrade and received his degree in Electrical Engineering. He worked in his hometown of Novi Sad in his field until he immigrated to the United States, and moved to Barberton, Ohio. He was sponsored by his Uncle Veselin (Walter) Papich. In 1961, Kosta married Sophia Topalsky. He became employed by B.F.Goodrich as an engineer for 20 years. Working at Goodrich, he formed lifelong friends with his colleagues. He later became president and manager of Belgrade Gardens Inc., which was a family owned restaurant since 1933. Kosta was not only an engineer and restauranteur, but also was an entrepreneur. He started buying and investing in properties is Naples, Florida in 1970, when no one knew where Naples even was. It was a small fishing area. He saw potential in the area and had a vision of what was to come. He convinced his friends to invest from the Akron and Cleveland, Ohio area and eventually formed a small close knit friend group in Naples. He was always known as the leader of the group, always organizing social events together! He never missed a beat even to the very end. He had many accomplishments and the following are just some of the few…

President of the Serbian Singing Federation of America (S.S.F.)
Board member of the International Institute in Akron, Ohio for many years
President of the Isidor Bajich Serbian Orthodox Choir for 20 years
First President of the Kosovo Men’s Choir of Northeast Ohio
Member of IEEE (Electrical Engineering Organization)
One of his greatest accomplishments that he was personally proud of was to raise funds for the completion of the Saint Sava Cathedral on Vracar in Belgrade, Serbia.  This is one of the largest Serbian Orthodox Cathedrals in the world which was started to be built during WWII, and finally completed and dedicated in 2021.

Kosta himself was also a huge benefactor of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the U.S and Serbia. Kosta M. Papich was a loving husband, father, and grandfather. He is survived by his beloved wife, Sophia Papich, three children, Milos Kosta Papich (wife Maja Papich), Dr. Maria Papich-Forsyth, and Maia Papich-Radjenovic (husband, Wally Radjenovic). He had eight grandchildren, Alexander, Maria, and Milan Papich, Maxwell and Tia Forsyth, and Stefan, Andrei, and Lucca Radjenovic. Calling hours will be Friday, February 3, 2023 from 4:00-7:00 at St. Archangel Michael Serbian Orthodox Church at 2552 Pickle Rd, Akron, Ohio, 44312. Funeral services will be Saturday, February 4, 2023 at St. Archangel Michael Serbian Orthodox Church at 9:00 AM. Burial to follow at Serbian Orthodox Monastery Marcha, 5095 Broadview Rd, Richfield, Ohio  44286. Memorial luncheon (Dacha) to follow burial at St. Demetrius Serbian Orthodox Church, 3106 Ridgewood Rd., Akron, Ohio 44321. In lieu of flowers, donations will be accepted by the following organizations:

          Serbian Singing Federation,   26352 John R. Rd., Madison Heights, MI  48071

          St. Archangel Michael Serbian Orthodox Church, 2552 Pickle Rd., Akron, OH  44312

          Lifeline Humanitarian Organization, 444 N Michigan Ave, suite 1200, Chicago, IL 60611 (Princess Catherine’s foundation for orphanages)

      Kosta will be missed by his family, friends, Kumovl, and the entire Serbian community. May he rest in peace!  Vecnaja Pamjat!

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Kosta Milos Papich, please visit our floral store.