Luke Buyenovich
- Published: October 2, 2025
Born Oct. 31, 1929; Died Sept. 24, 2025
Under the cover of a summer’s night ,with the bora gently blowing toward Italy, 21-year-old Luka rowed his father’s boat from Yugoslavia across the Adriatic to Italy. His 74-year odyssey into the Free World ended on Sept. 24, 2025.
Along the way he learned Italian in an Italian refugee camp, before finding a Liberty ship that took him to Canada. He spoke no English, but found work as a lumberjack. Having no luck in the camp poker games, he moved to Alaska to install radar sites on the Distant Early Warning line, and gained experience as an electrician.
He moved to the USA to work on electrical power plants that were springing up in the American West. There, he found his future wife, Gloria Jean Crisp. They were married 52 years until her death. They made a life in Dayton Ohio, where they raised a family and ran a family- owned electrical construction company.
Luka was preceded in death by his parents, Savo and Jane Bujenovic and his sister Darinka Raceta. He is survived by his sister Slavka Martinovic, his son, Steve (Tina) Bujenovic, and his daughter, Julie (Mark) Tanner, as well as four grandchildren.
Recently, Luka lived in Yellow Springs with his son. He could be seen piloting a red scooter in a black leather jacket, and atop his head was a captain’s hat.
“People are considerate here in Yellow Springs, very nice,” he would say.
In remembrance, please take a moment to reflect upon those who come from afar in search of a better life.
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