Our "Djedo" Michael Arson Lakovich passed away peacefully on Sunday, May 28 with Jan, his loving wife of 52 years, daughter Katy (Mahoney), and son A. J. at his side.

Michael was born on July 18, 1946, in Fresno to Arson and Katherine Lakovich. He was soon joined by his sisters Kathy (Rudolph) and Sandy (Ciano).

After graduating from Central High School in 1964, Mike secured a part-time job cleaning telephone booths while attending Fresno City College and serving in the National Guard. Little did Mike know that the part-time job would lead him to the Bay area and ultimately a part-ownership of Selzee, Inc., serving telephone companies from California to Florida.

In 1970, Mike married his high-school sweetheart, Janet Elizabeth Isheim. During their ten years in San Jose, they had daughter, Katherine Elizabeth in 1972, and son, Michael Arson Jack, aka A.J., in 1975. In 1980, with their family now complete and a successful business partnership, they decided to move "back home" to Fresno, arriving Christmas Eve. That would be the first of 42 Christmases in their forever home.

Mike's dream of being a "weekend farmer" then became a reality. He worked alongside his father, Arson, and his brothers-in-law Frank Ciano and Rudy Rudolph on the Lakovich home place on McKinley Ave, and eventually his father-in-law, Jack Isheim at the Isheim home place on Floyd Ave. Tractoring, tending the water, any of the tasks required for farming a grape vineyard, were welcomed by Mike.

The most adored role of Mike's life arrived in 2000 when his first of seven grandchildren was born. From that moment, he became "Djedo" (a term of endearment meaning grandfather in Serbian). Adults, family, friends of friends…everyone who knew Mike, loved him as Djedo, including the nursing staff at Stanford Hospital.  Whether in an executive suite at the Daytona 500 or harvesting grapes side-by-side with the crew, he treated everyone with the same love and respect and always a bit of humor.

Mike was a lifetime Raider fan, an Indy and NASCAR enthusiast, a man who loved a hard day's work, the ranch, motorcycles, and chocolate. Time with family though is what truly filled his heart and brightened all the days of his life. As Mike so powerfully wrote to one of his grandchildren for a school assignment which required input and sentiments from family members, when others in our family wrote pages and pages for this assignment, Djedo simply wrote, "You've changed my life forever!" Djedo, YOU have changed ours FOREVER.

Mike is survived by his wife Jan Lakovich; daughter, Katy (Sean) Mahoney and their sons Jack, Max, James, and John Mahoney; son, A. J. (Lisa) Lakovich and their children Hannah, Lincoln, and June Lakovich. He is also survived by his sisters, Kathy Rudolph, and Sandy (Frank) Ciano, as well as Larry and Phyllis Isheim, and Richard and Lyn Laethem. Add to this many truly beloved nieces and nephews and their many children and you have some idea of what mattered most in Djedo's heart.

A celebration honoring Mike's life will be held Wednesday, June 14th at 10 a.m. at The Well Community Church – Fig Garden Campus, 4545 N. Palm Ave, Fresno, CA 93704.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Djedo's memory to St. Peter's Serbian Men's Club, 2365 S. Fowler, Fresno, CA 93725, or the charity of your choice.