Kaz was born on March 4th, 1931, the youngest of 10 children of Franc and Francka Juvan, in Domzale, Slovenia, in what was then Yugoslavia. His early teens were spent under Nazi occupation, during which he and a friend actually cut the local Nazi telegraph lines. After WWII ended, the new communist dictatorship closed the Yugoslav borders. Kaz and his brother France managed to escape to Austria in 1953, where he spent 3 years working before coming to New York City in 1956 and joining the Slovenian diaspora there. While in New York, he met and married Majda Kalan, who had also recently arrived with her mother and brother. They came to be reunited with their father, Zdravko, who had been a prisoner in Dachau and had come to America after being liberated instead of facing certain execution from the Yugoslav communists if he had returned.

Kaz and Majda lived in New York after their marriage, and their first child, Andrew, was born there. Wanting a better environment to raise their family, they moved to Vermont in 1965. There they had another son, Tom, followed by daughters Nikki and Alissa. Kaz worked as a Mechanical Engineer for several companies, IBM, HP, and finally Polhemus, where he worked on designing equipment for the F16. His prodigious notes were still being used after his retirement at age 70.

As befitting his engineering mind, he loved figuring out how things worked. For years he did most car repairs himself and built various additions to his home, including a new bedroom, an enclosed porch, and a toolshed that was probably nicer than many camps on Lake Champlain. Even after his children married and left home, he regularly fielded questions about how to fix things, and he usually offered to fix them himself.

Retirement allowed him to travel to Slovenia more often to see his remaining relatives, and also to explore other European countries with either Majda or one of his children along. His curiosity didn't waver and he was open to new experiences. He started rug hooking in his 70s, and in his 80s tried Alissa's exercise pole. At 91, he had his first flying lesson and started kayaking.

He was predeceased by his parents and eight siblings.

He leaves behind his wife, Majda, with whom he shared 64 years of marriage, his children Andrew (Barb), Tom (Lee), Nikki (Trent Campbell) and Alissa (Andy Robinson), his grandchildren Isabel, Ana, Christian, Emma, Eli, Hannah, and Freya, his 94 years old sister, Milka, and many nieces and nephews, both in the US and Slovenia. His grandchildren loved playing with their "Papa", whether he was pretending to be a dog or teaching them how to use his tools.

The family would like to thank the medical staff that cared so well for him in his last years, especially Dr. Diane Rippa, Dr. Melisa Gibson, Dr. John, and Dr. Sanders as well as the nurses and staff at UVM Hospice and the McClure Miller Respite House.

A funeral mass will be held at St Pius X Church in Essex on June 11th at 11 am.

In lieu of flowers, a contribution in his name can be made to Tunnel 2 Towers (https://t2t.org/) or UVM Hospice or McClure Miller Respite House.