John “Johnny” Kolich

Born Ivan Kolic, in 1899, John Kolich left his homeland of Yugoslavia arriving in the United States in 1919. Later Johnny arrived in Biloxi where he would meet Alma Weeks hauling watermelons from her father’s farm in Foley, Alabama. Together, they had three children.

Kolich would make his career as boat captain aboard the schooners, ADRIATIC and PACIFIC, both owned by Grego Anticich. In the late 1940s, the PACIFIC would be sold to the Mavar Shrimp and Oyster Co. and Kolich would follow. Under the direction of Mavar, the schooner would be converted to a Biloxi lugger. Again, the PACIFIC would be sold to Louis Trebotich, and again, Kolich would follow, leading him to captain the vessel for nearly 50 years. In those years, Johnny Kolich would teach all ten of his nephews (Misko’s and Jordan’s) how to work the boats, thus handing down the trade of commercial fisherman to future generations.