Obituary of ELIZABETH FÜREDY

ELIZABETH (ERSZÉBET) FÜREDY
(nee Csapo)
February 25, 1943 – September 29, 2024

Predeceased by her late husband Árpád Lajos (Lou) Füredy, she leaves her sons Paul (Renee) and George; beloved grandsons Andrew Furedy and Avery Dawes, sister Agnes (Andy, nieces: Bronwyn, Claudia and Colleen); brother Károly (Agnes, nephew András); to miss her deeply. 

Mom had a good life, although the clouds were very dark when she was born in Budapest, Hungary, during the turmoil of a world at war. However, better days were to come. Our beautiful mother came to Canada with her parents Ernő and Lenke, and her sister Agnes, following the 1956 Hungarian revolution. After escaping to Belgium, Canada welcomed the family with open arms and they immigrated and settled in Winnipeg to pursue a life of freedom, peace and countless opportunities

It was in Winnipeg she met a dashing young fellow named Árpi, who was also a displaced Hungarian in similar circumstances. It wasn’t long before they fell in love.

Erzsi/Liz, as she was often called, became a true Winnipegger. She was the embodiment of a brunette teenager in the 1950s, bobby socks and all (see the great picture below). She was still in high school when Dad managed to sweep her off her feet. They intended to elope but her father got wind of their plans and, for a while, Mom was forbidden to see the much older Árpi (he was 23). After considerable persuading by Árpi, her father reluctantly signed a consent letter for their marriage. Their modest wedding took place at St. Andrew’s United Church on Burrows with the reception at the Royal Sherry Hall. Fifty close friends celebrated, but sadly Elizabeth’s parent refused to come. Happily, they did eventually reconcile.

As two young lovers in a strange, new, and wonderful land - together  they learned a new language, educated and advanced themselves, started a family and pursued their dreams. It wasn’t always wine and roses but they always found their way back to each other. Before Dad passed away in 2020, they had celebrated an incredible 61 years of marriage.

Mom was always industrious, a hard worker and a real go-getter. She worked several jobs in the garment industry starting right after graduation. She enjoyed fashion immensely and came to really shine in retail positions at Holt Renfrew downtown and later at Irene Hill in Polo Park. We always said her career choice suited her to a T.  Mom had style, with unassuming grace, wit and charm.  We are certain that was evident to all who would cross her path. Mom was vivacious, outgoing and a real people person. In later years, those assets proved to be valuable as she became an excellent home care giver. She was always a “straight shooter”, direct to a fault. She spoke her mind and would not put up with any nonsense.  

We often visited the old country, as well as Western Europe, with Mom and Dad to see relatives and discover our Magyar roots. She travelled the world vacationing with Dad visiting the Caribbean islands, British Honduras/Belize, Mexico, Columbia, Australia, a lot of the U.S. and most of Canada. While she was limited to travel as she got older, she would often call her friends and extended family who resided overseas to say, “Hogy vagy? Mi uj sag?”  (Translation: How are you? What’s up?), frequently.

Although we, her sons, had careers that led us to move away to build our lives elsewhere in Canada and in the States, we eventually returned home to Manitoba to be near Mom. She was always there for her family. Open to talk about anything. What a true blessing!  

Elizabeth loved her family fiercely. Her legacy is woven into each of our lives, and we will carry forward her spirit of love and kindness.

She was very proud of her grandson Andrew. Mom loved that she was able to see him often and watch him grow up to be a fine young man; very successful and creative too - just like his Papa. She was huge fan and couldn’t wait to hear him play a school band concerts, or cheer him on whether he was on the ice or on the basketball court. She and his Papa were over the moon when he graduated with a Fine Arts degree and started his professional career in the sports industry. And she was equally proud of grandson Avery and his exceptional achievements in Law school and his many accomplishments.

Our Mom also held the Bligh and Megrath families in Calgary close to her heart: David Bligh Sr. (the late Elaine), the late David Bligh Jr. (Deidre) and Kyle Bligh (Livia); Vickie Megrath (Bill), Lorrie Ebersole (the late John), and Vance Megrath (the late Kathy). Mom was also extremely fond of and shared many very happy moments with Ms. Charlotte Thompson of Ottawa, whom she considered to be a kindred spirit.

Left also to cherish memories is her Goddaughter, all her close neighbours and many dear friends. We are grateful to those of you who helped her when she was down, “but not out”, as she would put it. (You know who you are).  Also left to mourn are many relatives and loved ones in Hungary.

To be honest, we thought lung cancer would get Mom. As much as we tried to get her to stop smoking, Mom just couldn’t break her “ciggy”/smokes habit. Instead, Mom had a sudden heart attack. For those who knew her, for her to call 911 on her own volition was quite extraordinary. Good on Mom that she knew she needed help. And she got it!  Because of that we were extremely fortunate to have had some extra days with Mom while she was in hospital.

We cannot express enough our sincere gratitude for the care, compassion and kindness shown to her by Dr. Kass and the amazing team of doctors, nurses and health care workers during her all-too-brief time at the Acute Cardiac Care Unit at St. Boniface Hospital. They did all they could to help her, including attempts to fix the physical hole in her heart caused by the sudden heart trauma she experienced. However, we all knew deep down that the “hole” existed in her heart ever since Dad’s passing four years ago. Mom tried her best to cooperate with the medical team and she would have given all of you a big “thumbs up”. God bless! 

According to her wishes, cremation has taken place. A gravesite ceremony for our family will occur at a future date.

As heartbreaking as it can be, Mom would want us to continue to live, laugh and love which is the recipe for a life well lived. She would want you to hug and kiss those you love. Treat yourselves to a nice dinner. Share a bottle of your favourite wine. Enjoy being together. Love one another. Egészségedre! (To your health!) 

Her departing words: “Que sera, sera”.

Goodbyes are not forever. Goodbyes are not the end. They simply mean I'll miss you, until we meet again.