Lily Rendulic, 90, of Lenexa, KS, passed away peacefully on March 20, 2023, at Westchester Village facility in Lenexa. She was the second of six children born in a small village near Ogulin, Croatia, to Anton and Anka Gasparovic (Keser). Like many children of her generation, Lily experienced and survived many difficult and dangerous situations as World War II raged through her homeland. She often spoke how these experiences made her stronger, to the point where everything else in life seemed relatively easy. In 1955, she married her long-time sweetheart, Anton, and they had two boys. They lived a modest life, being fully aware of limited opportunities for themselves and their sons under the old regime. In 1970, the family immigrated to the United States and settled in Kansas City, KS. To help support her family and pursue the American dream, Lily first worked in a garment factory and then in an electronic assembly plant, before joining Kansas City Kansas Community College from where she retired in 1996. She and her husband of 64 years enjoyed their retirement. They made several trips to their homeland to visit friends and relatives, however, no vacation was complete without spending time on sunny beaches along the Adriatic coast, Mexico, Florida, Caribbean, or Hawaii. Lily enjoyed swimming, gardening, shopping, and helping her children and grandchildren. She was a hard-working individual with strong family values. She was preceded in death by her husband, parents, two brothers and two sisters.
Lily is survived by her sons Walter (Mary) Rendulic; Kruno (Nada) Rendulic; grandchildren Monica (Carlos) Bello; Diane (Aaron) Winter; David Rendulic (Morgan Kroll); great-grandchildren Julian and Adrian Bello; Karsyn Winter; sister Millie Squibb, brother-in-law Ivan Tokic; sister-in-law Mary Gasparovic; and numerous nieces and nephews.
The family would like to thank the staff at Westchester Village and Ascend Hospice for their exceptional care, compassion, and support.
Visitation from 9:30 - 10:30 AM followed by the Mass of Christian Burial at 10:30 AM on Thursday, March 23rd, 2023, at Holy Trinity Catholic Church,13615 West 92nd Str., Lenexa, Ks. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Lenexa, or St. John the Baptist in KCK.