Dr. Milan Rakić was a dedicated physician, a loyal friend, a caring husband, father, grandfather, brother, and uncle. He was kind, patient, loving and a gentleman.
Mima was born on August 2, 1933 in Ilidža, Yugoslavia, near Sarajevo. He was the second son of Vuka and Miodrag Rakić, and younger brother to Dr. Ljubiša Rakić. He and his family survived the WWII, and through a series of events during the war, the family moved to Belgrade where Mima grew up and made many lifelong friendships.
He matriculated the University of Belgrade Medical School and received an MD degree in 1961. That same year, he married Dr. Gordana Bresianac and they had daughter Snežana. They later went their separate ways. In 1962 he accepted a position at the Institute of Pharmacology as scientific collaborator, and in 1964 attained the title of assistant professor of pharmacology.
In 1969, Mima decided to come to the United States. He was awarded a post-doctoral research scholarship at Purdue University in Lafayette, Indiana. During this time he met Nadežda D. Džaković, and June 14th, 1970 they were married. Dody had a 5-year-old daughter, Marina, from a previous marriage. Mima quickly became like a second father to Marina. She called him “Tata” and he gave her the nickname “Mačak” which means “kitten” in Serbian. They had a warm and loving relationship.
Mima successfully passed his medical examinations and completed his residency in anesthesiology at Illinois Masonic Hospital. On June 1st, 1972, their son Andrei was born (Marina’s wish for a baby brother came true). Mima accepted a position at Palos Community Hospital, where he worked for 2 years. In 1976, he transferred to Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, and Midwest Surgical Center, where he worked for 34 years, until his retirement in May of 2010.
Mima was respected and loved by his family, his kumovi and many friends and will be fondly remembered.