Tomislav "Tommy" Poljak

Tomislav “Tommy” Poljak was born July 11, 1939, in Drvar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and died on Sunday, December 21, 2025, in Shreveport, Louisiana. His life was an epic journey, beginning with his family’s move to Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina just before the outbreak of World War II. There, he would be introduced to the three great loves of his life: tennis, engineering, and the greatest of all, his family— his wife Ula and sons, Denis and Davor. These loves would anchor his life, giving it shape and purpose until the day he died.

Though Tommy discovered tennis as a small boy, it was at the new tennis club in Zenica where he trained and made a name for himself on the Yugoslavian junior tennis circuit. He discovered his love of engineering at the local technical high school, and he would bring that sense of precision and desire to every endeavor he undertook. After earning a scholarship to study metallurgy at the prestigious University of Ljubljana in Slovenia and completing his mandatory military service, Tommy returned to Zenica to begin his career at the iron and steel forging plant, where he learned every facet of production and management. He later moved to the Hasan Brkić Metallurgical Institute as a researcher and ultimately, President of the Institute. He authored many independent and joint scientific white papers. By the time he left Yugoslavia in 1994, Tommy had been elected vice chairman of Zenica’s Mining and Metallurgical Combine (RMK) Business System, which employed nearly 80,000 at its peak in the early 1990’s.

His engineer’s sensibility allowed him to succeed in his chosen field while also maintaining an impressive tennis career, which spanned over 70 years and two continents—a 16-time national champion in singles and doubles in junior, senior, and veteran competitions in Bosnia and Herzegovina and a singles and doubles champion in the United States, including representing Louisiana in the Senior Olympics several times. The pinnacle of his tennis career came in 1984-1985 when he had the great honor to serve as the President of the Yugoslavian Tennis Association, during which he led the 1984 Yugoslavian Davis Cup team to victory against Great Britian and organized the 1985 Davis Cup match versus Australia in Split, Croatia.

As fulfilling as his tennis and engineering careers were, Tommy’s greatest love came in 1968, when he saw Ulfeta “Ula” Pasic while strolling the city center boulevard. He was instantly smitten. They married on October 19, 1968, and Tommy stayed smitten through 52 years of marriage, a war, and a new life in the United States.

Tommy’s love of tennis, learning, and family enabled his sons to travel throughout Europe, experience different cultures, and ultimately to enroll as NCAA Division I college tennis players at Centenary College of Louisiana, which would change the lives of all four of them.

Zenica was greatly impacted by the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Tommy and Ula were separated from their sons for four long years. Because of the friendships and relationships that Denis and Davor built in Shreveport during their time at Centenary College, Tommy and Ula finally reunited with their sons in 1995. That joyful meeting at the Shreveport airport is the stuff of family legend.

Tommy successfully navigated a new life, culture, and language in the United States, achieving the “American Dream” in 2003 when he and Ula became proud American citizens. During the 30 years he made Shreveport his home, he brought his sense of generosity, kindness, and love of people wherever he went. He was instrumental in assisting his sons in founding and managing their family business, Poljak Group Wealth Management. When he wasn’t traveling with Ula or acting as her sous chef, making precision cuts for the creation of her famous dishes, he could be found most days on a tennis court either frustrating opponents with his killer drop shot or coaching generations of north Louisiana players. He even found time to publish his memoir, Three Loves of an Engineer (Tri Ljubavi Jednog Inženjera). But Tommy would say that the capstone of his life was the arrival of his four beloved grandchildren, and he liked nothing better than spending time with them, whether at his home, on the tennis court, or taking them around town.

Tommy is predeceased by his wife, Ula Poljak; their first-born son, Damir Poljak; his parents, Karlo and Domica Poljak; and his sisters, Nada Sandić, and Ljiljana Poljak. He is survived by his sons, Denis Poljak and wife, Susannah and Davor Poljak and wife, Megan and his four grandchildren, Thomas, Laura Charlotte, David, and Danny as well as his siblings Ana Novosel, Vjeko Poljak, Josip Poljak, and Drago Poljak and many beloved nieces and nephews.

The family will celebrate Tommy’s life at, 802 Margaret Place, Shreveport, Louisiana on Sunday, January 4, 2026, from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials may be made to the Poljak Family Endowment Fund at Centenary College, Office of Development, 2911 Centenary Blvd., Shreveport, LA 71104.

The family would like to thank Demetria Feaster, Lisa Jones, Simone Powell, Lance Tucker, Heather Luoma, the staff at The Oaks, Spring Lake Nursing Home, and Bristol Hospice. Their love, support, and compassionate care for Tommy and for his family were beyond words.