| Obituary |
KEPES, George January 25, 1930 – January 28, 2016 We have lost a warm and wonderful man, a bon-vivant, with a wicked sense of humour and a vibrant zest for life. George Kepes died peacefully in his sleep on January 28, 2016, losing his battle with colon cancer, but leaving behind a legacy of love, laughter, and a thousand stories told with a glint in his eye. First and foremost a husband, father, and grandfather, George was also a brilliant mechanical engineer and machine designer, a keen tennis player, an avid crossword fan, a voracious reader, a student of history, and an admirer of Elvis tunes. He swore his next car would be a convertible Mustang. Born in Miskolc, Hungary, he used guile and bravery to survive the Holocaust, when most of his family perished. After the war, he was reunited with his mother, Regina Stern, in Budapest and would later make a daring escape to Austria, along with his wife Marika, during the 1956 Hungarian Uprising against the Russian occupation. Making his way to Canada, they eventually settled in Montreal where, in 1958, he became a father to Robert. George was lucky to meet the love of his life, Kati, and he remarried in 1981, becoming a father again in 1992 to Benjamin, much to the delight of his family and close friends. After a long career at Nortel, George fulfilled a life-long dream in 1984 and opened his own firm, Tensor Machinery, a global leader in the wire, cable, and fibre-optic machinery industry. He was still at his office until two weeks before he passed. Left to celebrate his wonderful life are his beloved wife Kati, to whom we are forever grateful for her patience and extraordinary care, his adored sons Robert and Benjamin, and his treasured grandchildren David and Victoria, all of whom he was so proud. We will miss his exuberant greetings, his wise counsel, and his sheer presence, so much larger than life. Funeral service from Paperman & Sons, 3888 Jean-Talon St. W. on Sunday, January 31 at 1:45 p.m. Burial at the Hebrew Sick Benefit Association Cemetery, de la Savane. Shiva will be held in Toronto at 121 Dinnick Crescent on Thursday, February 4, from 6 to 9 p.m. and Friday, February 5, from 2:00 until 4:00 p.m. |
