Alexander "Alex" Nokovic

Alex lived with a thirst for life and steadfast commitment to his family. The facts are always easy to go down: he was born in Germany but raised in Gary, Indiana by way of refugee status. Deployed to Vietnam returned and moved to Boulder. Married his life long love Michal, fathered 3 wonderful children—Lindsay, Jessica and David. Worked as a hard drive engineer until a medical retirement at 56yo. Fought many cancer battles—bladder, prostate and gastric (the last and final battle). However, the beauty of Alex’s life is in how he lived it. Every decision he made centered his family and his desire to enjoy the simple pleasures in life. The last decade of his life he lived in Oregon—first on a remote lake then closer to Portland for appointments and simple pleasures like Saturday AM bagels and Wednesday McDonald’s. He loved time spent with family and enjoyed when all his kids could be around. He particularly enjoyed setting up his garden with his children (Jessica and Lindsay if you ask him but we all know Jessica cannot keep plants alive, it was David and Lindsay who did the work and planning). In fact, many of his last days on hospice were spent in his garden which we now call the Serenity garden. He cherished his phone calls and coffee with friends and family near and far. Alex was most known for his generosity and sense of humor, though not all understood it. He died in the way he lived—humor sprinkled with grace, stubbornness and on his own terms. He will forever be missed but will live on in our cherished memories and the continued growth of the food and flowers in his Serenity garden. Keep an eye out for the cherry blossoms.