John Balaich
John (Ivan) Balaich was born in Obrovac, Croatia on February 22, 1936, to Matthew and Lucija (Lucy) Balaich. He was the oldest of four children with brothers Filip and Petar and sister Nevenka (Nancy). John escaped Yugoslavia not wanting to join the communist army and went to Austria when he was a teenager and worked for some time. John was sponsored to come to the US by Frank Erceg and came to Duluth, MN in 1956. John met Karen Jago and they were married in 1960 at Good Shepard Church on Raleigh Street. John and Karen had three sons, John Jr., Robert, and Steve.
Source: duluthnewstribune.com