Stevo Julius, retired professor and former chair of the Division of Hypertension at the University of Michigan Medical Center, and a beloved husband, father and grandfather, died peacefully in his home April 11 after a lengthy illness.
Born to a Jewish family in what was then Yugoslavia, Julius’s early life was marked by the rise of Nazism and ultranationalist violence in Europe. The family fled their home near Zagreb during the Axis invasion of 1941, joining the anti-fascist Partisan movement. Despite his young age, Julius served as a courier, shuttling messages between paramilitary leaders in the villages of modern-day Croatia.
Reunited with his parents and older brother in Zagreb after the war, Julius undertook his medical training. He established himself as a successful clinician and lecturer, but his true passion lay in scientific research. He was bold and creative in a crony-based political system that rewarded neither. In 1965, he left his homeland to pursue his passion at U-M in Ann Arbor.
Dr. Julius thrived in the meritocracy of American academia, rising eventually to chair the Division of Hypertension at the U-M Medical Center. During his more than 40-year career, he made critical discoveries on the etiology and pathophysiology of hypertension and the metabolic syndrome in individuals and populations.
He helped to establish Ann Arbor as a global leader in cardiovascular research, welcoming talented scientists from across the United States and around the world. In 2022, the university created the Stevo Julius Research Professorship in honor of his many achievements.
Professor Julius was supported in all of his work by his wife of 54 years, Susan, who welcomed every new member of the Hypertension Division with one of her legendary dinner parties.
Together, they built an extended scientific family that continues to thrive today.
Professor Julius was a masterful communicator, equally comfortable delivering a keynote address to hundreds of colleagues as he was holding court at family gatherings. Whatever the size of the audience, he commanded their attention with wisdom and warmth.
He spoke multiple languages and knew at least one off-color joke in each of them. He loved to share personal anecdotes, authoring three volumes of memoirs in addition to more than 400 scientific papers and academic book chapters. He could have filled a dozen more volumes with his stories, silly and serious.
There was the time he played goalie for Zagreb Dynamo, before his father convinced him to go to medical school; his adventures collecting antique maps, including one apparently rescued from the bottom of a swimming pool; and travels in the country of his birth, a place he regarded as almost magical. And of course, there was his family and his life as a proud Wolverine.
In addition to his beloved Susan, Julius is survived by his children, Nicholas (Elissa Buhr-Spangler) and Natasha (Lawrence Peterson); and grandchildren, Keegan, Ford, Theo, Tihana and Djuka.
Memorial arrangements are pending. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Arbor Hospice in recognition of the wonderful support they provided.
— Submitted by Nie Family Funeral Home
