Nina Trutanic

From New York Times August 24, 2008 Paid Notice: Deaths TRUTANIC, NINA BOGDANOVICH

TRUTANIC--Nina Bogdanovich, a prominent Californian patron of the arts and music, has died. She was 90 years old. Nina Trutanic died on August 19 after suffering a stroke while obtaining care at a medical facility in Maryland, according to her son, Richard Trutanic. Born on November 4, 1917, in the Los Angeles port community of San Pedro, Nina Trutanic was one of seven children and the last surviving child of Antoinette Simic and Martin J. Bogdanovich, a Croatian immigrant, and the founder and Chief Executive of StarKist Foods until his death. Nina served on the company's board of directors, along with her siblings, including Joseph Bogdanovich, who succeeded Martin as the Chief Executive and served in that capacity for many years after it was acquired by HJ Heinz & Company. StarKist was later sold to Del Monte Foods and Dongwon Enterprises. Nina Trutanic was married to Nicholas F. Trutanic, a leading tuna industry executive, who worked in senior international management capacities for StarKist, for over thirty years, and died aboard a Star Kist vessel in New Zealand. Nina, along with her husband, lived and traveled in various countries around the word, including Europe, South America, Asia and Africa, as the company's operations expanded and StarKist became a leading global company. Nina Trutanic grew up in San Pedro, CA and graduated from Mills College, where she studied language and music. Fluent in four languages, Nina was an ardent lover of music who studied opera and performed at various venues. She was a founder of the Los Angeles Music Center and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and active in several other philanthropic arts and educational fields thoughout her lifetime. Nina was also a personal friend of President Richard M. Nixon, his wife Pat and family. In addition to her son, Richard of Los Angeles, she is survived by her daughter, Michele Trutanic Kearney of Washington, D.C., her two grandchildren, Nicholas Trutanic and Michael Kearney, and several nieces and nephews. A funeral mass will be held on Wednesday, August 27, 2008, 10am, at the Holy Redeemer Chapel at Holy Cross Cemetery, 5835 West Slauson Avenue, Culver City. Donations to the Stroke and Cerebral Research Fund at Johns Hopkins University Medical School, 100 North Charles Street. Suite 401. Baltimore, MD 21201 Attention: Jacquelene Redmond are requested in lieu of flowers.