Date de Décès: 2005-07-22
Date de Parution: 2005-08-24
Source: The Gazette, Montréal, QC
OBITUARY IVAN VARKAY His life Ivan Varkay, Civil Engineer M.Sc., in his sleep at dawn on July 22, 2005. He is loved and is mourned by his wife Magda Baricza Varkay, daughters Madeleine Varkay and Esther Varkay-Mavaddat, son-in-law and grandchildren Shahbaz, Ariana and Carla Mavaddat, and extended family and friends. Ivan Varkay's life, his achievements and memory will be celebrated at a Mass on Friday, August 26, at the Church of Ascension of Our Lord Parish, 375 Kitchener Avenue, Westmount, at 11 a.m. Throughout his life, he showed determination, courage, intelligence, consideration and compassion to those in his personal and professional life. Born in Pecs, Hungary and raised in the Jesuit Collegium in Pecs, his schooling was interrupted by polio and shortly thereafter the Second World War. With great determination he regained his mobility. Amid the political turmoil and great pressures during the post-war Rakosi regime, he graduated with honors from the Budapest Polytechnic as an engineer. The overthrow of the Hungarian Revolution in 1956 motivated him and his wife, Magda Baricza to escape to Austria and later to settle and work as professionals in Paris, France. The opportunity provided by Canada's generous policy, brought them first to Drummondville and later they settled in Montreal where he worked with CD Howe and later as chief civil engineer with Shock Beton. His intelligence, strategic focus and drive motivated him to set up his own engineering consultancy in Montreal. His legacy includes such landmarks as Newfoundland Hotel, extensive community projects in Frobisher Bay, and the 1976 Olympic Complexes. As well he developed projects in the U.S. and in international markets such as India. Always a proud Canadian, he ensured both daughters were fluent in Canada's official languages and took pride in the renewed life provided by Canada. He lived by the maxim of "to those to whom much is given, much is expected" - in this regard community work and charitable acts were of major importance in his daily life. Finally, the long illness with Parkinson's disease took Ivan away from his family much too soon, and accordingly in lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate that if any support in form of donations that individuals would like to make be directed to the Parkinson Association of South West Florida, 6226 Tamiami Trall North, Naples, Florida 34108 in gratitude for their extended support over the years. In Montreal, special thanks to Dr. Rubin Becker, nurses Lynn Cattiny and Carolina Velra at Le Waldorf and Rita Aber for her utmost humanity. Our private nurses for years of hard work, love and understanding, Dorothy Auqustin and Zenaida Oghayon. Arrangements by Blythe Bernier Funeral Home Published in the Montreal Gazette on 8/24/2005