Dr. Tibor Zoltan Harmathy

Passed away peacefully, at Moments Manor, on Friday April 7, 2017, at 94 years old. Predeceased by his first wife Maria (nee Kiss). He is survived by his three children Tibor Andrew (wife Sandy), Anna-Maria and Peter, his second wife Amy Steele and his five grandchildren Jenny, Andrew, Shelby, Alexandre and Philip. Born in Hungary, Tibor received his first degree in Mechanical Engineering from Budapest University of Technology. Tibor was 22 years old when the Germans retreated from Hungary, taking with them University students and graduates. Tibor was stationed at Dresden and survived the British/American bombing attack on Ash Wednesday, February 14, 1945, where an estimated 25,000 people were killed. After the Russian invasion of Hungary in 1956, Tibor and his wife Maria decided to leave, failing once, then later successfully crossing the border to Austria. From there, they went on to England, where they boarded the RMS Saxonia in Liverpool, crossing the Atlantic to Pier 21 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. They moved to Montreal, then to Ottawa, where Tibor worked at the National Research Council. He was a pioneer and one of the founding fathers of contemporary fire safety engineering. Over his career, he authored over 100 fire science-related publications, several books and numerous patents. Tibor had a passion for travel, returning to Hungary countless times, visiting Europe with his family and criss-crossing the United States and Canada on camping trips. Tibor had an insatiable curiosity of the world, was multilingual, and was self-educated in numerous fields including History, Science, Politics and Philosophy. In 1964, he acquired his Doctorate in Engineering from Vienna University of Technology, defending his thesis in German. We, his children, are all thankful for our father’s courage in leaving his homeland and creating new roots in Canada. This, along with his intellect, drive and high standards were instrumental in leading his children to successful careers. Tibor loved his wife, his children and grandchildren, and will always be remembered for his shy and gentle manner. He had many “corny” jokes for his children, and helped them sing and recite stories every Sunday into his tape recorder. He instilled in us the love of music, especially Opera, which his talented wife Maria sang beautifully – especially the arias. We will always be grateful for all the loving moments he brought into our lives, for sharing his joy for travel, and especially for his risk-taking in being the only Harmathy to immigrate to Canada. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation would be appreciated.

Many thanks to the staff at Moments Manor for their care during his short stay. Friends are invited to visit from 10 - 11 am on Saturday April 15 at McEvoy-Shields, 1411 Hunt Club Rd. A memorial service will be held at 11 am. Reception to follow.