Geza Bodor

Born in Zalaszentlaszlo, Hungary, Geza immigrated to Canada in 1957 due to the increasing threat of the Soviets after the collapse of the Hungarian Uprising. Geza made Calgary his new home and met his wife, Phyllis in 1959. They were married in 1960. They had two children, Frank and Linda, and were married for 64 years.

Shortly after arriving in Canada, Geza started working for Norwesco, a glass company. He excelled at working with glass. Geza learned to read and write English with no Canadian schooling and later received a journeyman glazier certificate. His family was so proud of his accomplishment. He worked in the industry for over 35 years.

Geza was a handyman extraordinaire. He could fix anything. It didn’t matter if it was plumbing, electrical, carpentry or dealing with forest critters, Geza could do it all and with utmost precision and perfection.

Geza was an outdoorsman who loved nature. When his children were young, every Sunday a picnic would be packed, and he would either lead his family on a hike through the mountains or to a lake and go fishing. Geza was an avid fisherman and many a trout, pike or white fish was caught. His favorite place was his cabin at Burnstick Lake. Nothing was more beautiful and peaceful than walking down to the lake, sitting on the bench that Geza made and listening to the call of the loons, the hoot of an owl or the scamper of squirrels. Geza also enjoyed hunting and he spent many hunting seasons at the cabin hunting for deer or moose. The cabin was rustic; just the way Geza liked it. When Geza purchased the cabin, it needed several repairs. Over the years, Geza upgraded the cabin endlessly but to him, it was a joy to do. New decks, new roof, walls, sinks, siding, windows, doors, boat dock, the list goes on and on. Geza had a trolling boat and enjoyed trolling the lake and fishing. He made a swing for the grandchildren, had motorbikes, pedal bikes, snow mobiles, a quad – lots of everything. Geza would cut down a few trees around the cabin from time to time and everyone would work to cut and pile the pieces of wood for the woodburning stove and fireplace. The family has cherished memories of many Thanksgiving dinners out at the cabin.

When Geza was fixing something or doing something that he enjoyed, he whistled. Oh how the man could whistle! Any tune and so beautiful.

Wine making was a hobby that Geza enjoyed. His family owned a vineyard in Hungary and Geza had knowledge of making wine from “back home”. Geza shared many stories of making wine from the vineyards in Hungary. In Canada, he made wine the traditional way, directly from grapes and handled the wine press and crusher with ease. He made both red and white wine but his favorite was a white wine from the Muscat grapes. Anyone who was privileged to have a glass of Geza’s wine remarked on its excellent quality and taste. Never a drop was spilled! His oldest wine is over 30 years old.

Geza enjoyed watching many types of sports, but his favorite was watching pro wrestling. It started with Stampede Wrestling and continued with the WWE. Geza knew the names of all the pro wrestlers.

Nothing was more important to Geza than his wife, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. They were the most important part of his life. He had a wonderful sense of humour and the most infectious laugh. His family has treasured memories of hearing stories from Hungary and others.

Geza is lovingly remembered by his wife Phyllis, son Frank, daughter Linda, sister-in-law Trudy, grandchildren; Jeffrey (Jocelyn), Richard (Christine), Kenny, great-grandchildren; Alexandra, Jason, Harrison, Bennett, niece Carla, nephew Peter (Peter’s son Levi) and niece Szusza (in Hungary). He is predeceased by his sister Ilona, brother-in-law Les, brother-in-law Tibor and son-in-law John.

A Graveside Service will be held at Queen’s Park Cemetery, 3219 4 St NW, Calgary on Friday, June 21, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. with Reverend Marcus Zeuch officiating.