John Nagy Mr.

Our dad was named after his father, Janos Nagy. He was born in Forro Hungary december 4th 1935. He has one remaining sibling.Yolinani , she turned 90 a few months ago in Budapest . He grew up in a poor village where his dad made cabinets and the children played with frogs and pieces of wood not toys. But he said he had a happy childhood and remembered it fondly , with lots of friends and his brothers and sister, and the wonderful cooking and baking of his mother. As a teenager he went to dances frequently and dad and his older brother were very brave because they used to get into fights regularly over the most beautiful girls, it became a village tradition! I quote his nephew Lazslo in Inanc here “ uncle Janos was a strong willed, determined man, he had a strong opinion about things and he wasn't afraid to say it I really liked his style”

Dad spent the majority of his life in Canada, but he considered himself a true Hungarian and loved his mother country. Mom and dad travelled to Hungary to visit their relatives, many times over the years, as often as they could. He loved his relatives, the food, the wine and the hot springs. He brought his mother to Victoria in 1964 and his brother Laci in 1967. His mother returned to hungary in 1971 but Laci stayed in Canada and worked along side dad for many years.

Dad was able to apprentice in carpentry in canada and got his carpentry trade ticket in 1965.

We moved from Oswego street where we had a tiny house that dad renovated, to a duplex on cook street and then to a brand new house that I remember vividly growing up in on Stevenson Place. Dad built many homes after that for the next 45 years. He loved his house on Alvarado street and we grew up with the workshop in the basement and every night we fell asleep to the sound of the wood going through the table saw or some kind of construction noise. I often tried to go downstairs and ask if I could help, but he said it was no place for a girl. That did not deter Anita or myself from being very crafty though which we attribute to his genetics.

He continued his successful construction company building many homes in broadmead and had many apprentices including my husband Murray. He always encouraged everyone to go into the trades, he felt it was the best life he could have had.

Mom and dad moved to the prospect lake house in 1996 and there he planted many fruit trees, raspberries ,and had chickens and ducks, He built himself his dream carpentry workshop where he spent many hours organizing and storing his tools and wood. He continued to work , until he was in his 80’s, doing small renovations for hungarian friends neighbours and anyone that asked. He always wanted to help murray and I when we were building or renovating one of our homes and I think he was very nostalgic man, because he was always disappointed when we sold a particular house he helped us build.

Dad loved his bees and was very proud of the biggest crop of honey he ever got two summers ago. But his biggest joy was his peach and italian plum trees. Anita spent many hours with mom and dad canning all that fruit which would be proudly displayed in the garage. He would not rest till he had at least100 or more different jars of canning and an immaculate-chopped and stacked wood pile ready for the winter.

He lit that wood stove everyday all year round except for the 3 or 4 days we had heat waves. We all sweat buckets every time we went over, he loved the heat and would not let mom open a window or turn on a fan. He was forced to replace the 35 year old wood stove this spring as it was completely burnt out, and he was not happy to see it go.

Although the last three years had been hard for him, and despite his age of 88, he was sill very young at heart and wanted to do everything he had done as a young man. He really missed all the socializing he had done at the Hungarian Club, for the last 65 years with his many friends and dance partners. Those were the times he had the biggest smile on his face. he was very proud of the hungarian club and loved going there as much as possible.

We helped him prune all the fruit trees last month and that one of the last pictures we have of him outside in the back yard in his happy , happy place. We are very sad we had to loose him, but he had a happy, fulfilled life with his wife, daughters , son in laws and many grandchildren. He considered it a very successful life and was a very strong, quiet and proud man and we were lucky to have him as our dad.

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Born December 4th, 1935. In Forro Hungary, Died April 9th, 2023. In Victoria,B.C. Canada

It is with great sadness we have had to say goodbye to our husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather. A very strong and proud man, with a presence and stature that filled a room.

Devoted to his wife of 65 years, and his beloved home, dad spent his retirement surrounded by his fruit trees ,bees and garden. Dad immigrated to Canada in 1956, amidst the Hungarian Revolution against the Russian invasion of his home country. Bravely crossing to North America on a cruise ship from Austria to Nova Scotia then via train across Canada, he was in barracks in James Bay with his fellow refugees and was warmly embraced by the people and culture of Victoria.

Unable to speak the language he connected with fellow Hungarian refugees and for the first while he picked potatoes for 10 cents a day on the saanich peninsula. His passion/skill was in carpentry and he was soon able to work in his trade , and eventually became a contractor of his own company John Nagy Construction. Dad renovated and built many homes over his 45 year career, and encouraged everyone to work in the trades. Dad met mom in Victoria and on there first movie date at the Odeon Theatre he bought a ticket for a draw for a car and won! To him this was destiny, he sold his motorcycle and proudly married his date soon after and drove the guests to and from the wedding in his 1957 Ford Fairlane.

Dad loved being social and was a big participant in the Victoria Hungarian Cultural Society. He loved his fellow members and as the years passed and he retired they became so much more than friends , they were his family, he looked forward to every event and especially the dancing.

Dad is survived by , his wife Maria, daughters, Susan ,(Murray)and Anita(Mark), Grandchildren:Thomas, Ellise, Taylor, John and Michael. Great grandchildren: Ella, Owen, Evelyn, Noah, Lyla and Max His sister in Budapest and nieces and nephews in Hungary and his nephews in Calgary.

We are celebrating dads life Monday May 1st at 2p.m. At First Memorial Funeral Chapel Falaise drive .