Obituary of Dara Nedeljković Mattica

Dara (Nedeljković) Mattica, age 86, of Trumbull passed away in her home on Saturday September 14, 2024 surrounded by her loving family. She was the beloved wife of Peter Mattica. Born in Leusići, Serbia on March 24, 1938 she was the daughter of the late Vojimir and Borika (Babović) Nedeljković. Originating from humble farm beginnings in Leusići, Yugoslavia at the time, Darinka (Dara) was one of the few women in her era to leave her village at a young age and live in the capital city, Belgrade to further her education. Mrs. Mattica graduated from the 10th Belgrade High School in 1961 and then obtained her Bachelor's of Engineering in Architecture degree from the University of Belgrade in 1968. After completing a tough university curriculum, she was determined to see the world. She would go on to live and work in Paris, London, and Toronto and finally settling in America in Bridgeport, CT in 1970, where she later met her husband. She worked as a Structural Engineer and Architectural Designer across multiple companies within CT. Her talents would eventually lead to the designing and building of her own home in Trumbull where she resided for close to 50 years. She took part in the hands on construction and repair of the home, from start to finish, often found with a piece of cut wood or paint brush in her hand ready to tackle any tasks that needed to be done.

Her strong work ethic was evident in the garden as well, where she took great pride in meticulously maintaining and tending to her many vegetable gardens throughout her yard. She enjoyed sharing the bounty of the harvest with all who visited. She loved to host holiday and celebratory parties to bring family and friends together where she would spend days cooking and preparing dishes from scratch, including Gibanica. Dara would hand out shots of Šlijivovica, the Serbian plum brandy, toasting to everyone's health and truly meaning it. If music started playing, she'd be one of the first to get in the Serbian kola dance line. Dara made sure to stay in touch with friends and relatives across the globe, calling, writing and frequently taking trips to Europe and her home country, exposing her children to the vast family. But above all, her biggest joy was spending time with her children, whom she cherished. A caring and devoted wife, mother, sister, aunt and friend of many. She will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved her.

In addition to her husband Peter of 51 years, other survivors include her loving children, Betty Mattica and her husband Travis Moody of Tyngsboro, MA and Eddy Mattica of Boston, MA, as well as many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her brothers, Radojica Nedeljković of Serbia, Milivoje Nedeljković of England, Zdravko Nedeljković of France, Milutin Nedeljković of Bridgeport, CT and Borisav Nedeljković of France.

Friends may greet the family on Thursday, September 19, 2024 from 11:00 am until the time of service at the Abriola Parkview Funeral Home, 419 White Plains Rd., Trumbull, CT. Funeral services will be held at 1:00 pm at the funeral home. Interment will follow in Nichols Village Cemetery, Trumbull, CT.

For online condolences, please visit us at www.abriola.com.