VERICA “VERA” DRAKSIC

OBITUARY

age 74, of Kirtland, OH, passed away peacefully February 26, 2026. Daughter of the late Mijat and Anna Kalac, Vera was born and raised in former Yugoslavia with her siblings Maria (deceased), Lucija (deceased), Nevenka, and Petar. As a young woman, Vera felt a calling to help others that drew her to the field of nursing. This developed into a life-long devotion to cooking and caring for family and friends that she took with her everywhere, from aiding residents at the Slovene Home for the Aged to her work with the Congregation of Blessed Sacrament. In the winter of 1971, Vera emigrated to the United States, settling in Cleveland where she started a family with Martin (deceased), her husband of 40 years. She was a loving mother to their two daughters, Anita (late husband Edgar), and Irena (husband Chris), and a devoted grandmother to her cherished grandson, Evan. Vera spent nearly every waking moment preparing foods for people she admired, including the delicious dishes of her homeland, like strudels, poticas and sarma. Around the holidays, she baked until every container she owned was filled with cookies; gifts for the dozens of people she considered family. If you needed Vera, you could always find her in a kitchen peeling a potato, chopping an onion, or kneading dough; all while stirring a simmering pot. Fueled by a love of people, hard work, strong coffee, and bread and butter, she somehow had time to get the job done with a story and a smile. They don’t make them like Vera anymore. Contributions may be made in memory of Vera to either Sisters of Mercy, Sisters of Notre Dame of the United States, St. Jude, or Doctors Without Borders. Mass of Christian Burial Friday, March 6, 2026, at Divine Word Catholic Church, 8100 Eagle Road, Kirtland, Ohio, 44094, at 10 AM. Burial following at All Souls Cemetery. Family will receive friends to pay tribute to and celebrate the life of Vera at THE ZEVNIK-COSIC FUNERAL HOME OF WILLOUGHBY HILLS, 28890 CHARDON ROAD (between Bishop Rd. and Rt. 91) Thursday, March 5, 2026, from 4 – 8 PM. Online obituary, guestbook, & order flowers at www.DeJohnCares.com.

CLEVELAND — Thousands of people braved the cold in downtown Cleveland for the third wave of “No Kings Day” demonstrations against the Trump administration.

This time, protestors said, the stakes are higher than ever.

Community members and activists joined at the Free Stamp in Willard Park and marched alongside Lakeside Avenue and around Cleveland Public Square on Saturday. Demonstrators said they’re rallying against the Trump administration’s escalation of federal immigration enforcement tactics and rocky global economy amid the country’s war with Iran.

U.S. Military Veteran Fidel Swain said he’s marching for the rights of all Americans.

“We’re really concerned with what’s going on in the country today as far as this current administration,” Swain said. “They all seem to not follow the principles and ideas of the working class and just most Americans, which is law, order.”

Northeast Ohio resident Charlotte Hartman also stood among the crowd of demonstrators. She said she attended the two previous No Kings Day protests in Strongsville.

Today, Hartman said, she’s standing in solidarity with all marginalized groups.

(L-R) Protestors Elaine Wheaton, Charlotte Hartman, and Michele Murphy. (Spectrum News 1/Tanya Velazquez)

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“The way he treats people and minorities, the way he treats handicapped people … They don’t seem to be any care or concern for anybody,” Hartman said.

Hartman was joined by Elaine Wheaton, who said she hopes the demonstration will help unite Americans, despite ideological differences.

“We’re hoping that some of the people that voted for Trump before might be changing their mind,” Wheaton said. “He’s getting a little too overboard … I have no problem with Republican presidents like Reagan or Bush or whatever, but it’s not that he’s Republican. It’s just that he’s a bad human.”

The White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson sent a statement to Spectrum News dismissing Saturday’s protest. She wrote, “The only people who care about these Trump Derangement Therapy Sessions are the reporters who are paid to cover them.”

The first No Kings Day protest in June included around 5 million participants, while the second event in the fall drew in around 7 million people.

While speaking about the No Kings Day protests in October, Trump told Fox business that he’s “not a king.”

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – Protests against President Donald Trump’s administration are scheduled across the country Saturday, including in Northeast Ohio.

Events are happening around the region, with the largest turnout expected in downtown Cleveland.

Cindy Demsey, a co-organizer of the event, emphasized the rally’s purpose: “No Kings rallies in Cleveland and around the country demonstrate that We The People support an immediate end to foreign wars, ICE’s terror tactics, the administration’s unconstitutional power grab, covering up evidence of crimes against children and government for billionaires.”

The rally is set to begin at 1:00 PM at the Free Stamp next to City Hall on Lakeside Avenue and East 9th Street.