Dr. Zoran Ristic, 55, died Oct. 18, 2009 after a long battle with cancer. Dr. Ristic was born on Dec. 15, 1953, in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. He had one older brother, Ljubisa. He received bachelors and master’s degrees from the University of Belgrade and his PhD in Plant Structure and Development from the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada.
Dr. Ristic and his family moved to the United States in 1991, when he became a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN. He then became a faculty member in the Biology Department at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, where he worked for 12 years, rising to the rank of Professor. While at USD, Dr. Ristic received several awards, including the President’s Award for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in 2002. Since January 2005, Dr. Ristic was a Research Plant Physiologist for the United States Department of Agriculture in Manhattan, KS. Here, Dr. Ristic conducted research in the heat stress tolerance of wheat and corn. He also was an adjunct professor for the Dept. of Agronomy at Kansas State University in Manhattan.
Dr. Ristic also collaborated on several projects with the scientific community. One of his projects was with Dr. Amir Ibrahim of Texas A&M; together they tested and mapped new sources of heat tolerance in wild tetraploid wheat. Dr. Ristic will be included as a principal author on this ongoing research once it is completed.
“Due to global warming and increased demand for heat-tolerant wheat genotypes, this kind of research is highly needed, and thanks to the vision and hard work of Dr. Ristic, he was finding solutions to this problem,” Ibrahim said. “This loss will be felt among the scientific community who dealt in some way or another with Zoran: the crop physiologists, breeders, geneticists, etc.”
Dr. Ristic was a member of the American Society of Plant Biologists, The United States Tennis Association and the United States Youth Soccer Association, where he received his National “D” Coaching License. He was also an active tennis player at Cottonwood Racquet Club in Manhattan.
Dr. Ristic is survived by his wife, Mira, daughter and son-in-law, Anna and Devin Milowe, Omaha, NE, and daughter, Maya, Manhattan, KS. He was preceded in death by his parents Djordje and Katarina (Panovic) Ristic.
A visitation at St. Nicholas Serbian Orthodox Church in Omaha, NE was held at 9 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 23, with a funeral service at 11 a.m. at the church (5050 Harrison St.,) followed by interment at Evergreen Cemetery.
Anyone who is interested may send flowers to 1608 Little Kitten Ave., Manhatten, KS 66503.
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4 comments so far (post your own)October 24th, 2009 at 17:11pm
We met Doctor Ristic last year at Thanksgiving at his daughter's (Anna's) house in Omaha, NE. It was one of those rare moments when you know someone special has touched your life. We found Zoran to be extremely friendly, intelligent and gracious. It is an honor that we made his acquaintance. We are blessed that his daughter, Anna, married our son, Devin. We feel in our hearts that Devin has been blessed with a wonderful new family and that his life too was blessed by knowing Zoran. His goals and achievements in life are to be admired. He leaves behind a wonderful legacy. May he rest in peace. God bless, Zoran!
Dave and Paula Milowe
November 3rd, 2009 at 16:48pm
Dear daddy,
I love you so much and miss you like crazy. I wake up everyday hoping this is a nightmare. You are the best father a daughter can have. You taught me so much and I can't thank you enough. You will always be in my heart and a part of me. Thank you for giving the family an amazing life. All of your hard work brought us here and we love you for it. You always said, "I want to give you girls a life I never had" and you really did. You have so much success and love in your life. I can't tell you how many people love and miss you. Thank you for staying strong for the wedding and taking me down the aisle. Thank you for your amazing speech...not a dry eye in the room :) It was very touching. This past year was a battle for all of us and you stayed so strong and kept the family strong. You always said, "Never, never give up" and you never did. You are a winner. You gave it everything you could. You have an amazing son-in-law and he will take care of us. I love you! Rest in peace
November 28th, 2009 at 11:52am
Daddy, I miss you so much everyday. Every time I think of you smiling and enjoying life, it becomes contagious and I am happy again.
I love you, chicka Zorana. You are my world and my one and only sunshine. I will see you in Heaven.
Love,
Your daughter,
Maya
November 28th, 2009 at 11:55am
Daddy,
I miss you so much everyday. Every time I think of you smiling and enjoying life, it becomes contagious and I am happy again.
You are my world and my one and only sunshine. I love you, chicka Zorana.
Your daughter,
Little Maya