his welcome never faltered



 We first met Miso when he volunteered as an interpreter in 1997. Rev Clive Fowle had invited a group of Serbs and Croats from Baranja to England to engage in reconciliatory discussions after the recently-ended war. Miso struggled a bit with his English - can you imagine! - but he had not been long in England at that point.

On our retirement in 1999, we joined the Serbo-Croat class that Miso had by then been running for a couple of years (Denys had already been going for some time). For the next 8-9 years, Wednesday afternoons regularly saw us setting out with Denys for the Brasshouse Centre. After the lesson we would take Miso home - initially to Bearwood and then to his own flat in Moseley.

Different people joined the classes over the year. We became friendly with the regulars, and at the end of each term would have a meal out together - often just round the corner, and later on at the Brasshouse Restaurant in Broad Street.

While Miso was our teacher, as we got to know one another we increasingly became friends. Then, at the start of September 2004 he invited Denys & Margaret and Linda & myself, with Cathy and Martin, to fly with him to Split for a 10-day holiday at a family house in Vodice. We met his parents and had a wonderful time.

As a teacher Miso was constantly trying out new teaching methods. Computer-assistance was one - I know as a former teacher just how much time he must have spent preparing material for us. Twice a year he ran a Saturday School; an opportunity to learn more of the culture and songs of Croatia, and meet some of his other students.

After Miso became poorly I used to visit him in his flat on a Thursday. We had lunch together and discussed the children's stories he had been writing. He often used our grandchildren's names!

However poorly he became, his welcome never faltered. As a teacher he must sometimes have been frustrated by our slow progress but his patience was unruffled. His courtesy, kindness, and deep faith made him someone whose company we always valued and appreciated.

May he rest in peace!

Posted on behalf of John