BY JOHN REED LEADER EDITOR
KNOX — Funeral services were held Monday for Highway Superintendent Pete Stanojevic, who committed suicide on Wednesday, Feb. 13. He was 46.
He had been superintendent for slightly more than three years.
Highway Foreman John Ray found Stanojevic in his pickup truck behind the highway garage on 250 North just after 7 a.m. 911 records show the call coming in at 7:12 a.m. Reports did not indicate if the truck was county-owned or a personal vehicle.

Starke County Coroner Kris Rannells ruled the death a suicide, and said Stanojevic left a note. Stanojevic died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. No autopsy was performed. No police report was available.
Stanojevic had been highway superintendent since 2004. Officials credited him with making many improvements to the department, including:
• Instituting a program of replacing some bridges with culverts  and installing new bridges, without the need to hire outside contractors. The plan saved the county hundreds of thousands of dollars.
• Instituting a program to buy used equipment, using Major Moves money, so the county could do its own paving and “chip and seal” projects, instead of hiring outside contractors.
• Instituting a co-op program with Marshall County in which the counties would share equipment and make joint purchases. Fulton and Pulaski counties had expressed interest in joining the project.
“He changed the standards of how the county highway garage operates. He will be tremendously missed,” Commissioner Mark Milo said.
Stanojevic was a member of the Starke County Sheriff’s Posse, was a Republican Vice Precinct Committeeman in Wayne Township Precinct 2, a veteran of the U.S. Navy and a member of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in North Judson.
He was born May 29, 1961, in Chicago. On Nov. 8, 1886, he married Brenda Borne in San Pierre.
His father and mother, Sima and Cynthia, preceded him in death.
He is survived by his wife, Brenda, son Mark. at home; daughters Jennifer Bope of North Judson and Jamie Bope of Winamac; brothers Djurdie Stanojevic and Milorad Stanojevic, both of Yugoslavia; and nieces Jelena Mernci of Yugoslavia and Mindy Bauer of Knox.
Funeral services were held on Monday, Feb. 18 at St. Peter Lutheran Church, North Judson, with burial in Highland Cemetery. Visitation was on Sunday, Feb. 17, at Braman & Bailey Funeral Home, North Judson.
In a sidelight, Rep. Sen. Ed Charbonneau postponed a courtesy filing for office in consideration of the fact that Brenda is the Republican County Chairwoman.