John George Bjeletich was born March 19, 1933, in Butte, Montana, the youngest child of George and Andja Bjeletich (Baba).  After the birth of John's two older brothers (Božo / Bob and Dušan / Dan), George and Andja came to America from Montenegro, a territory in the former Yugoslavia, seeking a better life.  The family lived in the mining town of Butte where John's father, George was a copper miner and the family soon grew when John's older sister Helen was born.  The family lived in the east side of Butte where despite being poor, they always had food on the table, were surrounded by friends, and were very involved with their Serbian community and church.  Many of the family's friends were from Europe, including Finland, Ireland, Croatia, and Slovenia, and spoke their native languages in their homes and within their community.  This multi-cultural community practiced the traditions of their native lands and brought unique customs, celebrations and food to Butte, many of which are still present there today.  John's family was no exception and continued to honor their Montenegrin heritage.  John developed many strong and supportive friendships in Butte that continued throughout his lifetime.

After graduating high school, John enlisted in the army at age 19.  He tested well during the screening process and was stationed in Salzburg, Austria, working as a clerk in the Army hospital and playing basketball.  Once John completed his service, he returned to Butte and enrolled in the School of Mines, today known as Montana Tech.  He graduated in 1962 with Bachelor and Master of Science Degrees in Metallurgical Engineering.

Upon graduation, with encouragement from Helen and Roy, John and Baba decided to leave Butte and traveled first to Oakland before settling in Cupertino. John worked for a short time with Thermatest Laboratories and was then hired by Lockheed in 1964. For the next 55 years,  John worked with Lockheed specializing in materials and polymers.  He received numerous promotions at Lockheed culminating his career as a Fellow in the Materials and Structures Technology of the Advanced Technology Center.  He served as a company-wide consultant in the behavior of engineering materials and directed failure analysis of aerospace hardware including electronic materials.  Lockheed acknowledged John's long and incredibly successful career with an abundance of awards and accolades.

In addition to working at Lockheed, John taught an engineering course in the evening at DeAnza College for 25 years.  He also taught periodically at Santa Clara University.

In April of 1965, John met Nancy Hall and by June they were married and moved into the family home in Cupertino. Helen and Roy had built a house up the street and Baba joined them. This was the start of the Serbian take-over of the neighborhood with Helen and Roy and their family, Baba, and Kum Miso and Beba all living within a stone's throw of each other. Pete was born a few years after John and Nancy wed and Marko followed two years later. John and Nancy raised their boys within their loving and supportive Serbian community with all the children growing up together and attending family events and weekly dinners.  Cousins were more like brothers and sisters and continue to be today.  John and Nancy and their family and friends honored their Serbian roots with annual Slava and Christmas celebrations, often growing to a hundred guests.  The family lived a full and happy life, surrounded by their close-knit community of family and friends.

John was also active in the Serbian church.  He served as president of the St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church in Cupertino church for several years, which meant he often had the duties of clean up after an event.  In addition he was a 60 year member of the First Serbian Benevolent Society (FSBS).  The organization owns the cemetery where John will reside after the services.   FSBS also promotes the history of Slavic culture and sponsors athletic events for members and their children, an annual picnic, and a Slava dinner.

John was an engineer at heart and one of his many achievements outside of work was converting the family's modest 1500 square-foot house into a beautiful 4000 square foot home.  He enlisted help from many family members and friends (and a few professionals) but was the key person in designing the remodel and assuring that the construction was up to code, earthquake proof and unique in style.  He tackled everything in the remodel from the floor to the roof, and everything in between including the electrical work, tiling, and wallpaper.

John was a force to be reckoned with and he was not afraid to express his opinions on any subject.  As anyone who has verbally sparred with John can attest, you had better know your facts and have a strong constitution or face the consequences.  He had a great sense of humor and always had wonderful stories to share about growing up in Butte and all the interesting people and experiences in his life.

Memorial Services will be held on Friday, July 29, at 7:00 pm at the Alameda Family Mortuary, 12341 Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road, Saratoga.  On Saturday, July 30, his funeral will begin at 11am at the Serbian Cemetery 1801 Hillside Blvd., Colma, CA.  In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the Building Fund of St. Archangel Michael Serbian Orthodox Church, 18870 Allendale Ave., Saratoga, California 95070.  A new cathedral is being built on that site.