Ivan Mervar (January 3, 1891 - July 21, 1972)

Josipina Janc (January 1, 1897 - January 17, 1972)

Ivan Mervar was born on January 3, 1891 in the village of Škrjanče, Slovenia to Franciscus Mervar and Marija Šmajdek.

 

Ivan was the youngest child of Franciscus and Marija Mervar. All of Ivan's siblings left home: Joseph, Frank, Anton, and Josephina immigrated to the United States of America, Alojzij (Alois) moved to Croatia, and Marija married M. Pirkovič on May 12, 1919 and, thus, moved from home.

 

Ivan stayed with his parents, running Gostilna na Hribu (Inn on the Hill) and the family vineyard (indicate location) and eventually inherited these properties.

 

Ivan was an avid hunter.

 

Ivan Mervar married Josipina Janc in 1923.

 

Ivan and Josipina Mervar had three daughters:

 

  1. Zlata (October 23, 1923)
  2. Cveta / Cvetka (December 19, 1927 - September 3, 1985)
  3. Josefina (January 7, 1932)

 

Zlata was married to a judge and lived in Piran, Slovenia. During World War II she was jailed for six months by the Nazis for helping to get mail to the partisans. She was betrayed by a German woman. She was taken to jail and tourtured for six months.

 

Cveta never married. She studied economics in Vienna, Austria, and, later, worked for a bank in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

 

The youngest daughter, Josefina, lived and stayed at Gostilna na Hribu, and lives there to this day (2015). 

 

Josipina Janc died of a stroke on January 17, 1972. Her husband, Ivan Mervar, was devostated and died of a stroke six months later on July 21, 1972. Both were buried at the Šmihel cemetery situated in the southern part of Novo Mesto.