Carl Jurica Tribute

Carl made every visitor to his home feel important and valued. From my first meeting with Carl I was treated as a long lost friend. He will be sadly missed by so many.

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Several years ago when starting out in beekeeping I was introduced to Carl. He quickly took on the role of teacher and mentor. My first lesson was in his apiary. That day we checked most of his hives, I watched him harvest newly hatched eggs so he could rear queens and of course we moved hives around. At that point I think he was close to 80. It was amazing watching him climbing around and putting in more work than most people 1/3 his age could even think of. He berated me for wearing gloves but liked the fact I was careful with the bees. The end of that day he took me for ice cream. His mentoring turned into friendship. It was always fun stopping by and chatting about bees, chickens, cats and life in general. He became a great friend. I will miss him dearly

I am so glad that I got into beekeeping and joined SABA because otherwise I probably never would have met Carl. He was such a good friend to Gretchen and me. It always amazed me how many friends Carl had. It was very unusual to be at Carl’s house and not have someone else stop by to visit,or buy eggs,or buy honey,or bring him some home-cooked food. I never meet such a kind,gentle man. He had a wonderful impact on anybody that was fortunate to have known him. Rest In Peace Carl,your friend ,Rick

I am saddened to hear the news about Dr. Carl Jurica - he was one of a kind when it came to beekeeping and as a beekeeper. I have attached a photo of a painting I bought from Carl a number of years ago entitled ‘The Beekeeper’ - he was an avid painter and I regret not purchasing a few more from him. I always would tell him he was the ‘Grandpa Moses’ of beekeeping artists. Maybe if other members were lucky enough to obtain one of Carl’s paintings, we could have a gallery of them at a future in-person after this Covid thing. It would surely enlighten the fact that we were able to meet in-person again like the good old days.
God bless - my thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family. Tony Antonucci

Carl was incredibly open and friendly and was always very generous with his time. He would enthusiastically share his vast beekeeping knowledge with anyone who asked. He welcomed the company of everyone who stopped by, making each person feel special and appreciated. He experienced things with genuine joy and his enthusiasm was contagious. The world was a far better place because Carl was in it. He will be deeply missed.