Aranka Meszaros

It is with great sorrow that we share the passing of Aranka “Goldie” Gabriella Meszaros née Handl. Aranka was born on February 10th, 1949 in Budapest, Hungary to Maria Handl née Varga and Nandor Handl and sister to Maria Handl, all who have predeceased Mom. Prior to coming to Canada, Mom trained as a secretary. In 1969, Mom married Dad in Budapest, Hungary and joined him in Canada arriving on April 1st 1970 which was always a little joke in the family as that is April Fools Day. When Mom first arrived, Dad considered settling in Prince George, since Dad worked in logging and had spent his early years in Canada in the area. Mom, a city girl, was not happy with the choice, not to mention they went up in early spring to a very muddy and then small community. They finally agreed upon Campbell River. They spent their first year, with their first daughter, living in the apartments below the hospital and later moved to their permanent home. Mom arrived speaking no English, so she initially relied on reading Harlequin Romances to help her learn. An avid reader, Mom quickly moved on to more challenging books and continued to quench her passion for history and knowledge. Mom’s extensive collection of books proves her love for literature and learning! So her perseverance and hard work clearly paid off and unknowingly taught us the same dedication and work ethics in life. We are so fortunate to have such great role models in Mom and Dad coming to this new country and making a life for themselves with only their efforts to show the results! Mom and Dad raised 3 children while she mainly stayed home as a homemaker and Dad worked in logging. Mom did work in the cleaning industry and as an assistant in two local hair salons and she loved meeting new people, especially seniors. Mom also had a special spot in her heart for animals and loved seeing them in person or on TV in her numerous nature shows. Mom had many hobbies she excelled at including baking delicious Hungarian treats loved by all, cooking, sewing, embroidery, crocheting, knitting, as well as a mixture of many other crafts. Mom’s greatest pride were her grandchildren. Nana, as she was called, was thrilled to have them visit or phone her and share their “gossip”.

Sadly and far too quickly, cancer took Mom’s life on January 11th, 2021 after being diagnosed early this past fall. Mom leaves behind her loving husband of 51 years Tivadar “Ted”, her children Suzy Roberts (Ralph and Olivia), Christine Jochimski (Chris, Carrissa, and Tyler), Ted, and their cherished Hungarian Puli Bodri! In addition, Mom leaves many friends in Canada and Hungary, and especially her dear friend Marta in Budapest.

We would like to thank Dr. Papp in Victoria, Dr. Salam, Dave a Community Support Paramedic, and nurses: Rebecca in Surgical Daycare, and Rebecca and Gabby in Palliative Care. And, finally I, Suzy, can not end without passing on gratitude to my sister Christine for working by my side as we did our best to support and care for our Mom up until her final days!

We love you Mom and we will forever miss your sense of humor, your love, and your dedication to our family!