Mila (Mijanovich) Bodiroga |
| Posted 2009-07-17 by Sharla |
| Mrs. Mela Bodiroga, 72, of Wickenburg, died when a car driven by her son plunged off US 89 on Yarnell Hill and rolled 700' feet. The accident occurred about 3 miles south of the town of Yarnell. The driver, Wesley Bodiroga, 42, was hospitalized in Wickenburg. Tucson Daily Citizen 3-18-1963 ~~~~~~~~ The Wickenburg Sun, Wickenburg, AZ March 15, 1963 CAR PLUNGES OFF YARNELL HILL Highway Accident Is Fatal The tragic death of Mrs. Mela Bodiroga in an automobile accident Sunday evening brought a sadness to this community where she had lived since 1913, coming here as a bride almost directly from her native Trebejna, Yugo-Slavia. Her funeral was held at 11 o’clock Thursday morning in the First Presbyterian Church with the Rev. James Wilson conducting the services and she was buried beside her husband, the late Sam Bodiroga in the family plot in Wickenburg Cemetery. Death came to Mrs Bodiroga when the automobile in which she was riding with her son Wesley left the highway on Yarnell Hill and plunged into a deep canyon. Mr Bodiroga was admitted to Community Hospital suffering from several fractured ribs, bruises and lacerations and shock. The accident happened about 6:30 p.m. , according to Highway Patrol Sgt. W. O. Dollar who dispatched Patrolman Fred Lizzaraga to the scene and then went there himself. Dollar said it appeared that Mr Bodiroga, heading down Yarnell Hill in a sleet storm and on slick paving, went broadside off the road just north of what is known as Elephant Head curve. Bodiroga was thrown from the car soon after it left the highway, said Dollar, while Mrs. Bodiroga was thrown out and killed instantly further down the hill. The car, a complete loss, came to a stop about 600 feet from the highway. The body of Mrs. Bodiroga was brought to the Wickenburg Chapel. An unidentified motorist who had stopped at the scene took Mr. Bodiroga to the Arrowhead Station from where he was brought to Community Hospital. Mrs. Bodiroga was born October 15, 1890, and came directly to Arizona upon arriving in the United States in 1913. She and Mr. Bodiroga were married in Phoenix there being no one in Wickenburg in those days to perform marriages. Mr. Bodiroga was mining at the Black Rock Mine near Constellation, some 10 miles out Constellation Road was the scene of much mining activity. The family moved into Wickenburg just before 1920, into the home on Center Street where Mrs Bodiroga and her son Wesley were living at the time of her death. Her husband passed away in 1937. In addition to Wesley, Mrs. Bodiroga is survived by one daughter, Mrs. Stella Dixon of Wickenburg and four other sons, Obren and George of Wickenburg; Louis of Redondo Beach, Calif., and Peter of Miami, Arizona. Twelve grandchildren survive. See Also: Find A Grave |
Note: These obituaries are transcribed as published and are submitted by volunteers who have no connection to the families. They do not write the obituaries and have no further information other than what is posted within the obituaries. We do not do personal research. For this you would have to find a volunteer who does this or hire a professional researcher.
Questions About This Project?