More detail on this person: Robert Lovretich,
77, was a longtime contributor of guest columns
and letters to the editor to the Northwest Florida
Daily News.
By Staff Report
A Niceville man who was involved in a separate car
accident was killed while trying to cross U.S.
Highway 90 in Walton County on Friday night.
According to a Florida Highway Patrol news
release, 77-year-old Robert Lovretich was involved
in a traffic accident on U.S. Hwy. 90 (State Road
10) near the intersection with Laird Road at
approximately 9 p.m. when the fatal accident
occurred.
While Lovretich _ who was a regular guest
columnist and letters to the editor contributor to
the Northwest Florida Daily News _ was attempting
to cross the roadway and return to his damaged
vehicle, he walked into the path of a 2006
Chevrolet Silverado driven by Eric Edwards, 25, of
Crestview. Lovretich later succumbed to his
injuries and was pronounced dead at North
Okaloosa Medical Center.
Edwards and a passenger, 29-year-old John Moore
Jr. of Crestview, were not injured in the fatal
crash. FHP noted that alcohol test results and
charges are pending.
Obituary: Husband, father, brother, and friend,
(Colonel) Robert J. Lovretich, aka - Bob, died in
a tragic accident the evening of Friday March 3rd,
at 77 years old, only 10 days before his 78th
birthday. Nancy, Bob's "bride" of 47 years,
preceded him in death 3 years ago. He is survived
by a daughter and his son Jeffery Lovretich along
with his wife, Tanja and their children, Melissa,
Laura, Katharina, Daniel, Natasha and Nadine. He
is also survived by his sisters Jeanette Lovretich
and Joene Pike.
Bob was born on 13 March, 1939 to Joseph
Lovretich and Marian Bergstrom in Portland Oregon.
From early on he knew what he wanted to do_
which was to fly and in the USAF. He chose an
engineering degree to help get him to that goal
which was rough for him. Nearing completion of
that degree his college counselor told him he
should not try to make a living off of
engineering. He told the counselor not to worry;
he was just going to be a dumb pilot. And a pilot
he became in the USAF, dumb, not so much. He
had his heart set on flying high and fast in
fighter jets_ and got what he thought was half the
wish by going low and slow in helicopters. But
that turned out to be far more challenging and fun
that he expected. He then wanted to command
aviation squadrons, and again got half that wish
and ended up commanding maintenance
squadrons. And as it turned out again, he learned
it was much more challenging and rewarding to
command and work with those in maintenance, and
he loved it. He served 26 years in the Air Force
(in a variety of roles) such as a navigator,
co-pilot, pilot, squadron commander and wing
deputy commander, earning the final rank of
colonel.
Not having enough of flying, Bob started a second
career in flying for American Airlines for 11
years. He flew routes throughout America, to
Europe and South America. Consequently, between
his two careers, he developed friendships all over
the world, and saw much of what most can only
dream of.
Through these careers and afterwards in
retirement, he and his wife Nancy, adventured
together around the world seeing incredible sites
and meeting wonderful people. For more than the
last two decades he essentially chronicled many of
the adventures in his annual Christmas Letter that
he sent out to friends and family around the
world.
In retirement, he remained very active, learning
Aikido, biking and/or running daily, tutoring math
to 4th grade students at Plew Elementary school,
caring for feral cats, donating to local, national
and international charities, contributing many
published editorials to the local newspaper and
some to the Wall Street Journal Online,
voraciously reading and moderating/hosting the
Vazsonyi political discussion group. He was often
very active in varying rolls for his tight knit
Grand Oaks Home Owners Association group.
There are numerous events that show his character
and humor, but there are two at the moment that as
his son come to mind showing who and what he
was. When Jeff was able to move down to Crestview
to live near his father after his mother died, and
work from home for FedEx as a Systems
Administrator, Jeff met Dale Bradley, his new
across the street neighbor. Dale's last name rang
a bell for me, but when I told him of mine,
Lovretich, his eyes lit up! He asked is your
father Robert Lovretich?!? After I said yes, he
exclaimed that his father was my father's CO in
Viet Nam and my father saved his father's life as
well as all the others in their chopper. My father
arrived shortly after I met Dale and Dale thanked
him. My father said "Don't thank me, I saved
myself, all the others just happened to be along
for the ride." He initially turned down the Silver
Star for his conduct on that mission but was
informed if he didn't accept it, none of the
enlisted that were on the mission with him would
get any awards, and that would, long term, affect
their retirement pay as well. So he reluctantly
accepted the Silver Star so the enlisted could be
properly take care of. He saw combat awards as
being caught in the wrong place and the right
time, and non-combat as being in the right place
at the right time. To say the least, he was a
humble.
The other event was when I was fourteen and we
had just moved to Albuquerque, NM from England.
There was this new thing called "cable TV" and it
had HBO and the Movie Channel_ and even MTV!
Mom was in the kitchen preparing a meal as I was
in the living room with my father and he was
checking out this new cable TV thing. He turned it
to some show on a cable channel in the middle of a
movie. A woman in a sun dress was standing with
her back to a bed and a man in front. Things got
heated with them as he slipped the sun dress off
the woman, the dress falling to the floor. She in
turn helped his clothes fall to the floor. Both
pairs of our eyes were wide as frying pans. The
man pushed her on the bed and he follows as they
began, well, bouncing together. Both our jaws hit
the floor as I was looking out the corner of my
eye at my father wondering what was going on and
what was he going to do. He regained composure
before I did and said_ "Son that is called
'gravity'. You must always be on the watch and
careful of these gravity wells that come and go in
all unlikely places and times. It will rip off the
clothes and cause the couples to struggle to get
up until the gravity well leaves. But it will come
back in nine months with a vengeance and out of
the lady will come someone like you." He turned
off the TV and walked away to have a word with
mom. THAT was my "birds and the bees" talk. I've
never heard of anyone else having such a creative
talk on the subject under circumstances anywhere
near like that either. He had a way of turning the
most awkward and worst situations around into
something completely different and better.
He will be sorely missed by all who knew him as a
funny, kind, caring and giving man.
A memorial service with a reception to follow,
will be held on Saturday, March 18, at 10am at
Christ Our Redeemer Catholic Church, 1028 White
Point Road, Niceville, FL. Military Honors will
proceed the services at 9:30am.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to any
one of the following, sharing-n-caring.org,
operationsmile.org or
woundedwarriorproject.org.
Comments, condolences or memories may be
added at: www.mclaughlintwincities.com
Published Online in Northwest Florida Daily News
on Mar. 17, 2017
This information was last updated 03/09/2017
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