JOZSEF “JOSEPH” FAZEKAS, of Picture Butte, beloved father, grandfather and great-grandfather, passed away peacefully at the Chinook Regional Hospital, on Monday, September 16, 2024 at the age of 87 years.

Joseph is survived by his sons, Joe and Louie (Sandy), and by his daughter Lisa; along with grandchildren: Alex (Dustin), Janay, Josey (Andrew), and Liam (Kira); and great-grandchildren Olivia, Brooklyn, Wrenley, Montana and a baby boy due in February. He is also survived by his sister Elvira, and family, as well as his late brother Bela’s family, who reside in Hungary.

Joseph was predeceased by his wife Susan, as well as his parents Jozsef and Elvira, his brother Bela and his dear cousin Rozsi.

Joseph was born on April 8, 1937 in Csonkahegyhat, Hungary, and was the oldest of three children. Dad lived in Teskand, Hungary until the age of 18. Due to his participation in anti-Soviet protests during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, Joseph was forced to flee from his home country at a young age. He decided to emigrate to Canada, and arrived at Pier 21 in Halifax, NS, in January of 1957, with nothing more than the clothes on his back and the knowledge that he had an aunt and an uncle somewhere in southern Alberta. With the assistance of the Red Cross, he travelled across Canada by train and after arriving in Edmonton, a friendly priest who spoke Hungarian assisted him in locating his aunt and uncle in Iron Springs, AB. Joseph lived and worked with his aunt and Uncle Molnar on their farm and became their surrogate son. It was here that he met a young fellow Hungarian immigrant named Zsuszana “Suzy” Kapitany. They married in 1960 and went on to have three children: Joe Jr., Louie and Lisa, and to later go on to buy a farm of their own closer to Picture Butte.

Joseph “Joe” and Suzy were married for 45 years before her passing in 2005, and they were blessed with their three children, as well as good neighbours and many friends, most of whom were Hungarian immigrants themselves. These friends became relatives and they blessed Joe and Suzy with many days and evenings of playing cards, conversation and fun. While there was always plenty of work that needed to be done around the farm, there was still always time for visiting, and their home was filled with laughter, love and with the smells and tastes of Mom’s delicious Hungarian meals and baked goods. Joe loved nothing more than to socialize, and the door was always open to anyone to stop by for “coffee time”.

After Suzy’s passing in 2005, Joe sold the farm and retired to Picture Butte. He could often be found outside in the garage, building something from materials that he had saved from previous projects or tinkering around. Before becoming a farmer, Joe was a Journeyman welder and machinist by trade. He was a master “do it yourself-er” and there was nothing that he couldn’t conceptualize and build, and no project around the farm or the house that you couldn’t go to Dad for to get the right answer. The only exception to his abilities was that he was not an arborist, as evidenced by the short trees in his yard that he erroneously topped! Joe was never happier than when someone needed his help and he could use his skills. Less than 12 hours before his death, he wanted to help Lisa work on some furniture that she had been refinishing. Even when feeling so unwell, this gracious offer to help others demonstrated his generous spirit. Besides his gifted mechanical and construction abilities, he had a gentle demeanour, an unwillingness to say a bad word about anyone, and took great pride in his growing family. Joe loved hosting family dinners in his home, and was able to do so until June of this year. Joe also enjoyed exercising, and practiced yoga, lifted weights, cycled or walked every single day until his health no longer permitted.

The family would like to thank Piyami Lodge for the wonderful care the staff there gave Dad in his last months of life and for all the friends, fellow residents and community members who stopped to see him and say hi in the short time that he lived there.

A Funeral Service will be held at CORNERSTONE FUNERAL HOME, 2825 – 32 Street South, Lethbridge, AB, on Monday, September 23, 2024 at 11:00 A.M. with Pat Siedlecki officiating.

Following the Funeral Service, Joseph will be laid to rest in Mountain View Cemetery.

 

To send a condolence, please visit www.cornerstonefuneralhome.com

• Date : 2024-09-16
• Location : Lethbridge, Alberta