Peter Andrew Saunders

Peter Saunders, of Queens NY, passed on Friday, September 18, 2026 four days short of his 90th birthday. He was born September 22, 1936, the son of the late Ferenc and Klara Szanto, in Budapest, Hungary. He and his family lived in Hungary during the Holocaust and World War II, during which his father was taken away from his family and ultimately killed. Peter was a Holocaust survivor.

His wife, Judith Saunders (nee Bohm), whom he wed on February 14, 1959, died March 8, 2016. She also lost her father to the Holocaust, and was a survivor herself.

Peter and Judy met at a Union of Working Youth (DISZ) meeting, which the post-war Stalinist Hungarian communist government compelled all young people’s attendance and active participation.

After the Revolution of 1956, they were part of the 200,000 Hungarians who fled the country to all parts of the globe after the Soviet Union brutally invaded Hungary. Peter arrived via Ellis Island and initially went to live with an uncle in Connecticut. Both he and Judith loved the United States and the freedom that it brought them. They became naturalized citizens as soon as they were able.

He is survived by his daughter Deborah Andrea Bruns, his son-in-law William R. Bruns III, and his grandchildren, Marlie Ann Bruns, and William Thomas Charles Bruns.

In his professional life, Peter served as a Vice-President of Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner and Smith. He was an extremely successful businessman, despite not having the opportunity to even graduate high school. He taught adult education classes in finance for a number of years, and put a high priority on the importance of education for his daughter and grandchildren, all of whom have multiple collegiate degrees and certifications in their respective fields. He also mentored many new brokers at Merrill Lynch.

Even though he retired in 1996, not a day would go by where he did not check what was going on with the stock market and would reach out to others with investment advice or opportunities. He was an avid reader of the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. Politics was a favorite topic of conversation. He kept up with national and international news until his final days.

He enjoyed the finer things life had to offer, including opera, the symphony and theatre. He could be counted on to introduce his friends and family to both the driest bottle of white wine from France and the sweetest bottle of Tokai from Hungary. He traveled all over the world including to China and Machu Picchu and made friends with waiters, shop owners and many locals to find the best spots to eat and places to explore.

He found American football and baseball boring but became a Women’s NBA fan (Indiana Fever) in recent years and enjoyed watching Premier League soccer games. He supported Manchester United and tolerated his grandson and son-in-law’s love of Tottenham Hotspur. He enjoyed attending operas at the Met and, in later years, listening to live broadcasts at home.

Peter’s family and friends are worldwide, so the family is planning to commemorate Peter’s life with a Celebration of Life via Zoom in November 2026. Please email [email protected] for the date, time and link.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to Renewal. Renewal is a non-profit organization that helps kidney patients find living donors and navigate the transplant process.

You can donate in honor of Peter at https://renewal.org/donate/

Parkside Memorial Chapels is serving the Saunders family. Please visit https://www.dignitymemorial.com/funeral-homes/new-york/forest-hills/parkside-memorial-chapels/8559 to share a favorite memory of Peter with his family on the online guest registry.