Michael Kovacic was a portrait of how one should approach life, his family said.

“The example that he set for all of us about loving life, enjoying life and living it to the fullest — he always put others first,” said his mother, Lynn Kovacic of McCandless.

Kovacic, 32, of Cranberry died shortly after collapsing near the finish line of the EQT Pittsburgh 10-Miler race Sunday.

An autopsy Monday was inconclusive, officials said, and a ruling on the cause of death will not be made until the results of toxicology and tissue tests are available, which could take several months, according to a supervisor at the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office.

In the meantime, his family will celebrate his life, they said.

“I'm going to make sure his kids know everything about him,” said his wife, Traci Kovacic.

Siblings said he was an example of how to live.

“He always made sure that his wife and kids were always first,” said his brother, Joseph Kovacic III of Lawrenceville. “He loved them. He talked about them all the time.

“He was the same way with his friends,” he said.

He was the same way with everyone, according to his sister, Karen Kovacic Urschler of Marshall.

“He loved fiercely,” she said. “He loved everyone that he knew. He would do anything for anybody. If you asked, he'd be there to help.”

You often didn't even have to ask, said Bernadette Clinton of Franklin Park, whose son has been friends with Michael Kovacic since grade school.

“He was one of the best guys I know,” she said.

He met his wife in high school at North Allegheny, but the two didn't fall in love until they both ended up living and working in Colorado several years ago, his family said.

“He loved Denver and loved that lifestyle, but family was first,” Urschler said. “When they started their own family, they moved back to Pittsburgh — they wanted to raise their children near their families.”

The couple had two children — a 3-year-old and 5-month-old.

“He really is just the kind of guy that every guy should try to be,” his wife said. “He was caring and loving, and would be the first person to step up in any sort of situation.”

He was a leader in that way, said Clare Frankiewicz Guzzetti of Franklin Park, but he never lost sight of compassion, friends or his roots.

“It's easy to say nice things about nice people,” she said. “He was just a great guy. He will be very missed.”

She said Kovacic and her son, Joseph, were friends in high school, roommates in college and remained friends up until Joseph's sudden death in 2008.

When Kovacic moved back to the area, he began working at his brother's company, Black Bear Energy Services.

“He worked hard, but he liked to play,” said his sister. “He knew how to balance work and having fun. He always knew how to laugh and make others laugh, and he never lost sight of that — of keeping the two in balance.”

His father, Joseph Kovacic, said the family will honor that part of his son's life.

“He didn't want anybody crying over him,” he said. “He wanted to go out with a big party, and we're going to try and do that.”

Tribune-Review news partner WPXI contributed to this report. Megan Guza is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. She can be reached at 412-380-8519 or mguza@tribweb.com.

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