Maria Antonia Gjivoje Drazinic

Maria Antonia Gjivoje Drazinic, 88, of Eustis, Florida, passed away on Sunday, October 19, 2025, at Shands Hospital University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida.

Maria was born in Lastovo, Dalmatia, Croatia, on May 6, 1937. Her father, Antun Gjivoje told her mother Dragica Ivelja Gjivoje that should anything happen to him, she and Maria should go to America, because the hard life on the farm on Lastovo was not for them. Antun unfortunately passed away from pneumonia when Maria was 3 years old, and Dragica became an impoverished widow and single mother at a young age. Dragica put in the request for her and Maria to emigrate to the United States after Antun’s death, but it was many years before she was permitted to leave only with unmarried children. However, Maria had just gotten married, so she was not permitted to leave. During this time, Dragica worked very hard on the farm to make wine and oil for income. She raised Maria on Lastovo, among their many cousins and relatives.

Maria went to Split when she was 13 years old, to continue school. She became an au pair for her cousin. She spent her teenage years in Split, Croatia where she graduated from both high school and a finishing school (strucna skola), where she learned the finesses of culture, languages, gourmet cooking, fashion design, sewing, interior decorating, and much more.

She met her future husband, Dr. Stephan Drazinic, also from Lastovo, when he volunteered to teach her how to speak English. They married when she was 22 years old, and he worked in Muc and Makarska as a physician resident family practitioner. She had her first daughter, Sandra, in Split.

Maria came to the U.S. in 1965 with Sandra, to visit her mother Dragica and Dragica’s second husband, Kuzma Glumac, in Los Angeles, CA. Meanwhile, Stephan emigrated to the U.S. as a sponsored physician into an internship position in Miriam Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island, and Maria joined him there. Carolyn, her second daughter, was born.

Due to the bitter cold weather in Providence, Stephan took a surgical residency position, moving south to Beckley, West Virginia for three years, but they soon discovered that Beckley was a snowy and cold mining town, so they went south again when Stephan took an Ob-Gyn residency position at the University of Florida in Jacksonville.

After Stephan graduated from the residency, the whole family moved from Jacksonville, FL to Eustis in 1972. Dr. Stephan E. Drazinic was the first Ob-Gyn of Waterman Hospital in Eustis, where he delivered over 3,000 babies during his career through 1991. He could not have achieved this without Maria’s support for him being on call as a solo practitioner, 24-7, 365 days a year. He often missed holidays and performances as a result of his obligations to his patients, but he loved his work and never complained. Maria gave him and her children unconditional love and devotion through it all. She was an active member of the Waterman Memorial Hospital Women’s Auxiliary, when the Hospital was still located in Eustis.

During this time, Maria found a piece of property on a small lake and convinced Stephan that they should move. She used her tremendous interior decorating skills and design knowledge to create a Tudor-style home. Our family lived many happy decades in this home, which was filled with classical music, appetizing aromas from home-cooked meals, and memorable dinner parties with family and friends.

Maria was a beautiful person inside and out, a compassionate soul to those in need. Many people routinely sought her out for friendship and advice. Several people who were in need of respite due to the hardships in life found refuge for many months in our welcoming home, and they were grateful. She was beloved by all who were lucky enough to know her.

Maria was an active member of St. Mary of the Lakes Catholic Church, and she encouraged her two daughters to believe in God and regularly perform in the choir. Sandra sang and played guitar, and Carolyn harmonized and played piano and organ for many years until they went to college. Also, Sandra taught catechism, and Carolyn played and led the music for the Saturday masses regularly and Sunday masses as needed. Maria created pearl angels every Christmas for the church.

Maria instilled the values that her daughters should become highly educated and independent, beyond what she had in her life. She loved to read anything and everything that she could. She had great knowledge of classical literature, opera, theater, and history. She would clip newspaper articles and give her family anything that she thought would help them succeed.

She is survived by her two daughters, Carolyn Drazinic, MD, PhD, MBA of Gainesville, FL, who is the Chief of Psychiatry and Hospital and Clinical Services for the North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health Administration, and Sandra Drazinic Petak, M.A., M.A.T., of East Windsor, NJ, who is a retired English teacher and Educational Support Coordinator at Union County College in Plainfield and now works as a teacher for LearnWell and her son-in-law Fredric Petak, M.B.A, C.P.A., who is Vice President of Property Management at Continental Properties. Maria is also survived by her two grandchildren in Los Angeles, CA, Alexander Petak, Esq. who is lawyer for the entertainment industry, and Daniel Petak, who is a cybersecurity professional. Both grandsons formed a house music duo called Record Club, which has millions of streams across music platforms. Maria was always very proud and supportive of everybody’s aspirations in her family.

Maria was an ambassador of culture, style, and grace. May the Lord bless Maria Drazinic and keep her soul safe through her journey into eternity. May God bless all of the employees at Shands and Advent Health Waterman Hospital in Eustis, who helped her and many others spend a longer life in good health with their families here on earth.

Funeral Mass: St. Mary of the Lakes Catholic Church, Eustis, FL, on Thursday, October 23, 2025, at 11:00 AM. Arrangements by Harden/Pauli Funeral Home, Eustis, Florida.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Disabled American Veterans Charitable Service Trust, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation or to the Central Florida Concerns of Police Survivors.

Online Guestbook available at www.hardenpauli.com Arrangements by Harden/Pauli Funeral Home, Eustis.