Velimir Stevanovic

Velimir “Bill” Stevanovic, age 81, a longtime resident of South Lyon, passed away June 10, 2023. He was born on July 13, 1941 in Čumic, Serbia; son of Mihailo and Zivadinka (Predojevic) Stevanovic. Velimir was united in marriage to the love of his life Leposava Petrovska on May 10, 1970; they spent 53 years lovingly devoted to one another.

Velimir spent his childhood in Serbia before emigrating to Canada in 1967.  He moved with his new bride, Leposava, to Detroit in 1970 where they began their family.  They welcomed their first child, daughter Snezana in 1971 and shortly after a son, Mihailo in 1973. He was very dedicated to his family and was an amazing father.  Velimir proudly became a citizen of the United States in 1975 and shortly thereafter moved to South Lyon. He was a member of St. Lazarus Serbian Orthodox Church – Ravanica in Detroit for many years.

In 1967, he began a long successful career in skilled trades with General Motors in Canada before transferring to Fisher Body in Livonia.  He retired as a machine repairman in 2003 from the Romulus Powertrain Plant.  Throughout his career with General Motors, Bill, along with his wife Leposava, owned and operated South Lyon Village Bakery.  Working alongside his wife and children, they began serving the community sweet treats and custom decorated cakes in 1979 and continued for the next 37 years.  In 2016, they sold the bakery to new owners, giving him more time to spend with family and friends and doing the things he loved.

Velimir, or Bill as he was known to many, lived a really big life in a very small town.  He was always there to lend a helping hand and strived to make a positive impact on the community.   Combining that with his passion for soccer, led Bill to co-found the South Lyon Travel Soccer Program in 1979.  For over 40 years Bill coached and shaped young players on both South Lyon High School Junior Varsity and Varsity Soccer teams for boys and girls, as well as Walled Lake Western Varsity Soccer.  Well respected in the soccer community, he was inducted into the South Lyon High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2010 for his contribution to the program.  Years after he stopped coaching, players would stop into the bakery to say hello to their beloved “Coach” and introduce their own families to him.  He passed his love of soccer on to his grandson, Čedo, making sure as soon as he could walk, he could kick a ball.  They spent countless hours in the yard practicing, and he was at every game to cheer him on or make sure the ref knew he had made a bad call.

Bill was a true outdoorsman and an avid hunter.  He hunted deer, pheasant, quail, rabbit, and turkey alongside his best friend for many years and more recently shared his best tips and favorite spots with his hunting buddy, Finn.  He also enjoyed spending time in his yard tending to his fruit trees and growing grapes to make his own wine.  Bill liked to travel and take road trips, he drove across the United States and visited Europe with his family on multiple occasions.  Some of his favorite trips were up north with his wife or to Big Rapids to go four wheeling with family and friends.  Much of his free time was spent playing golf; he took trips north with the same group of friends for years, played in leagues, and supported his community playing in outings.  However, his favorite partner was his grandson whom he taught to play and bought his first set of clubs.  In his downtime, Bill, a sports fan, could often be found watching soccer, tennis, or golf.  He had a wonderful sense of humor and often laughed at his own jokes.  Bill was kind, generous, and incredibly proud of his heritage and family.  One of his greatest joys was being Dedo, he had a special bond with his grandson and loved spending time with him.  Bill was a beloved husband, Tata, Dedo, brother, uncle, Kum, and friend and will be genuinely missed by all who knew him.

Velimir is survived by his loving wife, Leposava Stevanovic; his children, Snezana “Sue” Stevanovic and Mihailo “Mike” (Courtney) Stevanovic; his grandsons, Čedomir Stevanovic, Gavin (Paige Greenwell) Ross, Caden Ross, and Finnegan Ross; his sister, Gordana Matic; his sisters-in-law, Milijana Stevanovic, Vaska (Ivan) Jancevski; his brother-in-law, Zivko (Olivera) Petrovski; and many nieces, nephews, and godchildren.  Kum to Marisav and Ivanka Savic and family and Milivoje and Vlatka Covic and family.  He was preceded in death by his parents; his brother, Radmilo Stevanovic; his brother-in-law, Miodrag Matic, and his nephew, Zoran Matic.

Visitation will be held Wednesday, June 14, 2023 from 2:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. with a Pomen (Prayer Service) at 5:00 p.m. at Casterline Funeral Home, 122 West Dunlap, Northville.  The Funeral Service will be held Thursday, June 15, 2023 at 11:00 a.m., instate beginning at 10:00 a.m. at St. Lazarus Serbian Orthodox Cathedral – Ravanica, 4575 East Outer Drive, Detroit.  He will be laid to rest at Woodlawn Cemetery in Detroit.

The family would appreciate memorial contributions to St. Lazarus Serbian Orthodox Cathedral , 4575 East Outer Drive, Detroit, MI 48234.