Yul Yost

• 

Yost, Yul 87, of Roseville, MN, passed away on February 21, 2017. He was born Julko Jost on February 16, 1930 in present-day Lipovec, Slovenia to Ivan Jost (son of Jose Jost and Ana Spes) and Juliajna Mastnak (daughter of Tomaz and Neza Mastnak). Yul's experiences on the family farm in Yugoslavia led to great love and talent for athletics, and great opposition to communism. Yul was a star player on the Yugoslav national volleyball team from 1952 until his defection to Portugal with a teammate in 1954. He immigrated to the US in 1957 and continued to play volleyball. In 1958, he played in the US AAU tournament in Minneapolis, where his team won first place and he was selected MVP. He also played in the 1958 US National Volleyball Championship in Scranton, PA. At that tournament, the University of Kansas volleyball coach discovered this phenomenal player from overseas still had NCAA eligibility, and offered him a small scholarship. In his first year at Kansas, he saw some track team athletes practicing shotput. Yul picked up the iron ball, anduntrainedalmost matched their performance. Word reached the track coach, and he offered Yul a substantial scholarship. In 1963, Yul won the Big 8 conference championship and graduated with a B.S. degree in chemistry. Remembering Minneapolis as a pleasant city, Yul applied to graduate school at the University of Minnesota then graduated in 1966 with a M.S. degree in chemistry. He married briefly and had a beloved son. Yul made a 29 year career at the VA Hospital in Minneapolis and authored 20 scientific papers on chemical preparations used in cancer, drug, and medical imaging research. Yul applied the same extraordinary drive to his hobbies and interests. He spoke six languages. He was an expert ballroom dancer, working briefly as an instructor. He had recreational land north of the Twin Cities, and transformed it himself using old heavy equipment to build a large network of ponds, canals, and roads. He planted and maintained an apple orchard and a very large plot of blueberries. He collected architectural stone and found objects, transforming his home adjoining Langton Lake into a quirky paradise brimming with flowers and artfeatured in garden magazines and newspapers. Yul showed pride in his heritage. He helped found the Twin Cities Slovenians and remained a long-time active member, translated historic Slovenian documents from the settling of the Minnesota territory, and researched and publicized the story of Slovenian missionary Bishop Frederic Baraga. He continued playing volleyball socially and competitively, and was a nationally recognized senior player. Yul is survived by son and daughter-in-law, Boris and Lynne (Gifford) Yost, granddaughters Larissa and Erica, all of Endicott, NY; sisters Stanaslava Hazen of Jupiter, FL, Gabriela Primc of Ljubljana, Slovenia; brothers Mirko (and Toni) Jost of Calgary, Alberta; and Franz Jost of Austria; and treasured friends too numerous to mention. Yul passed away from complications of progressive supranuclear palsy. A celebration of his life is tentatively planned for mid-July in Roseville.

Published on February 26, 2017