22 Jan 1931 to 23 Apr 2021
Eva Hayek passed away peacefully in the middle of the night. She had a 10 year long decline with dementia and spent the last 8 years of her life at Westminster House long term care home in Surrey BC. She was pre-deceased by her husband of 56 years, John Hayek in 2008.
Mum’s happy childhood in Hungary was disrupted by WW II, and then Russian communism. She married Dad in 1952, and near the end of the1956 Hungarian revolution fled the country with her husband, and 3 year old son John Jr. They first crossed the border to Austria, and with the help of several countries made their way to England and finally settled in Calgary, Alberta in April 1957.
She had a son, Phillip, born premature in 1960, who sadly did not survive. Then her youngest son, Richard, was born in 1961. Her eldest son Julius from a prior marriage, was re-united with the family in 1963.
After Calgary, the family moved to Kemano in BC. Then on to the Lower Mainland living various times in North Vancouver, Tsawwassen, Surrey and finally to their last home in Maple Ridge. Mum and Dad’s greatest passion was table tennis - they played for many years in the B.C. Senior’s games. They also loved walks in Golden Ears Park near their home in Maple Ridge.
Mum loved entertaining and put on fabulous spreads with no sign of the hours spent creating them. One of her great joys were her potted plants and she presided over spectacular displays of Christmas cacti.
Throughout their marriage, Mum and Dad did a lot of traveling, and for a year and a half lived in Ceylon, now Sri Lanka, where Dad’s work as an electrical engineer took him. After his retirement they were regular visitors to Mexican resorts, and took many cruises and road trips. After Dad’s passing, she continued the cruises with a close friend, her last one was up the Amazon River.
Special thanks go to Jane of Home Instead Caregivers who has been Mum’s companion ever since she moved in to Westminster House, and to Westminster House for the loving care that they have shown our Mum for the last 8 years.
There will be a cremation, and once it is safe for family to gather together her ashes will be places with Dad’s were so they can be together again. There is a bench at Kanaka Creek Regional Fraser Riverfront Park in Maple Ridge dedicated to Dad, and we intend to add Mom’s name to it.
Mum will be greatly missed, but we have solace in that she is finally at peace.
Eva is survived by her 3 children Julius (m. Ida) John (m. Maxine) and Rick (m. Monica), 9 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren.
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