Katarina Kostelac

Katarina Kostelac passed away on Monday, September 6, 2021 at home in Beaumont, California, at age 83. She was born on February 6, 1938 in Prvinci, Croatia. Katarina graduated from business school in Croatia and worked as a bookkeeper. She immigrated to the United States in 1959, and married Vlado Golem of Bisko, Croatia who had immigrated to the United States in 1955. They lived in Los Angeles for a short time before moving to Whittier, California. They had three children, Ron, Rick and Donna.

After marrying, she worked with Vlado in his shoe repair shop. The family enjoyed boating, spending many wonderful vacations on Catalina Island. When Vlado and Katarina retired in 1987, they moved to Anza, California, where she lived for 14 years and tended to her extensive vegetable garden and apple orchard. Katarina was very active in her church, and belonged to the Thimble Club and Bunco Club. Vlado passed away in 1997.

On November 24, 2001, Katarina married Ivan Kostelac in Yucca Valley, California. Ivan and Katarina and their families were good friends since 1977. Katarina became active in her church in the Altar Rosary Guild. She also enjoyed playing bunco.
Katarina enjoyed cooking and baking. She was especially known for her strudel. She baked cookies, cakes, breads, and pies for the church bake sales. Her favorite pastimes were putting together recipes for her cookbooks, sewing, and gardening. She had a green thumb, growing all kinds of vegetables. She especially loved her roses and other flowers.

Katarina will be dearly missed by her husband, Ivan Kostelac, and her son Ron Golem of Santa Clara, CA; her son Rick Golem and daughter-in-law Stephanie Golem of Gun Barrel City, Texas; her daughter Donna Golem of Beaumont, CA; and her granddaughters Lindsay Brown (and husband Tyson Brown) of Royal Oak, Michigan and Amy Golem of Dallas, Texas; also by Ivan's children Tony Kostelac and his wife Marne of Phoenix, Arizona, Anica McCartney and her husband Josh of San Jacinto, CA, Ivan Kostelac Jr. of Ontario, CA, and eight grandchildren.

A funeral mass will be held on October 8, 2021, at 1:30 pm at St. Kateri Tekakwitha Catholic Church, 1234 Palm Ave, Beaumont, CA. Her ashes will be placed in the Kostelac family plot in Stojavnica, Vivodina, Croatia. In Katarina's memory, in lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Carol's Kitchen, to help feed those in need; information is at www.carolskitcheninc.org/donate

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