Dr. Tony Oreskovich was more than a dentist to thousands of Pueblans he treated over a career that spanned almost 50 years — he was their friend, said childhood pal Carl Cascio of Pueblo.
“He was the kindest, warmest person you could meet. Unlike a lot of doctors and dentists, he was warm and affectionate, and patients loved him,” Cascio said.
Oreskovich died of heart failure Tuesday at a Pueblo hospital. He was 75.
Oreskovich “was a tireless person” who actually never retired, said his son, Dr. Tony G. Oreskovich, who practiced dentistry with his father.
Readers polled by the Pueblo Chieftain in 2005 and 2010 named his office the best dental clinic in Pueblo.
“He listened to people,” said his wife, Rosalie Oreskovich. People came to tell him their problems, and “he’d listen and give them hugs,” she said.
“He had great compassion and was a tireless worker,” Tony G. Oreskovich said.
Oreskovich’s other interests included working with stained glass. He made windows and lamps in the basement of his office building. When there was a patient cancellation, he would tackle his stained-glass proj ects. Several of the religious-themed windows he made are in St. Joseph Church in Pueblo, where his funeral was held.
Through his company, Oreskovich Glass Works, he sold windows to churches in many parts of the state and other stained-glass works to individuals, his wife said.
Tony I. Oreskovich was born in Pueblo on May 9, 1935. He considered a baseball career, Cascio said, adding that Oreskovich was a good shortstop. The two were neighbors as kids.
Oreskovich earned his dentistry degree at Creighton University in Omaha.
He met Rosalie McLennan of Colorado Springs while he attended Regis University and she was at Teikyo Loretto Heights University. They married Aug. 22, 1959.
He was a dentist in the Air Force for two years.
In addition to his wife and son, Oreskovich is survived by two daughters, Susan Gornick, who is a hygienist in her father’s office, and Mary Oreskovich of Pueblo; another son, Mark Oreskovich of Pueblo; and five grandchildren.
Virginia Culver: 303-954-1223 or vculver@denverpost.com
