Judge Zoran Popovich was born on February 4, 1931, in Akron, Ohio. He graduated from high school in McKeesport, Pennsylvania in 1948. His higher education pursuits began at the University of Pittsburgh, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in 1954 and later, an LL.B. from the University of Pittsburgh Law School in 1957. Judge Popovich served on active duty with the United States Air Force from 1951 to 1953.
In 1967, Popovich was elected to City Council in his adopted hometown of McKeesport, Pennsylvania. From 1969-1973, he was elected Mayor of the city. As its leader he also was co-founder of McKeesport’s “International Day”, a celebration of cultures and cuisine from around the world. He was honored in 1990 for this work and the festival still continues to this day.
His judicial career began in 1973 when he was elected to the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County. He continued to serve in the judiciary, and in 1980, he was appointed to the Superior Court of Pennsylvania. Judge Popovich was elected to full ten-year terms in 1985 and 1995. He continued to serve in Senior Status until 2010.
Judge Popovich spent the remaining years of his life in Rawley’s Island, South Carolina. He died on March 20, 2018 at the age of 87.