Obituary for Laszlo Varkonyi
Laszlo (Les) Varkonyi
October 1, 1939 to September 19, 2020
It is with great sadness the family announces the passing of Les on September 19th at the age of 80.
Leaving to mourn his passing are Paulette; his children, Christine, Kelly, Lindsay (Phil) and Alexis; his grandchildren, Dwayne, Delwyn, Dionne, Jenny and Noah; his great-grandchildren, Drayden, Quentin, Mialo, Jacob, Sophia and Kieran; and many friends he made throughout the years. He was predeceased by his daughter Lesley in 2005.
Dad immigrated to Canada from Hungary in 1956 at the young age of 17. He fled Hungary during the revolution and landed in Canada with nothing but the clothes on his back. During his time in Canada, he built a life that he was proud of. He worked hard to become a Sheet Metal Journeyman and was a proud member and eventual President of Sheet Metal Workers Union Local 511. Dad had a passion for job safety and security and worked hard to fight for the rights of underrepresented workers.
Dad had a passion like no other for downhill skiing. He loved the sport more than life itself. As kids we all grew up on the hill and travelled whenever we could to ski resorts all over Canada and the U.S. He was very involved with the racing community at Spring Hill Ski Club and raced in the Masters Program for many years. Dad never missed an opportunity to ski and was delighted to take Lindsay, Alexis and Noah to Banff in 2018, which would sadly be the last time dad hit the slopes. At 78 we joked that he was probably the oldest guy still shredding the powder.
Dad wasn’t much of a summer guy as he hated the heat, but he did enjoy camping, fishing and cracking open a beer on a hot day and joking around with friends and family. Dad had a sarcastic sense of humour and took every opportunity he could to tell a lame joke!
Dad was a strong guy who fell ill in the summer of 2018 and was eventually diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma in October of 2018. He fought hard with 9 months of chemotherapy and slowed the progression of his cancer for a short time. In early 2020, dad was also diagnosed with dementia and the family made the difficult decision that it was time for him to be properly cared for and he was moved to long term care at Actionmarguerite, St. Boniface. The COVID pandemic robbed us of quality time with dad over these last months, but we take peace in knowing he was cared for by a wonderful team on floor 5B.
In keeping with dad’s wishes, cremation has taken place and no memorial services will be held.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Les to CancerCare Manitoba.
We love you and will miss you always and forever!
E.J. Coutu & Co. Funeral Directors
204-253-508
October 1, 1939 to September 19, 2020
It is with great sadness the family announces the passing of Les on September 19th at the age of 80.
Leaving to mourn his passing are Paulette; his children, Christine, Kelly, Lindsay (Phil) and Alexis; his grandchildren, Dwayne, Delwyn, Dionne, Jenny and Noah; his great-grandchildren, Drayden, Quentin, Mialo, Jacob, Sophia and Kieran; and many friends he made throughout the years. He was predeceased by his daughter Lesley in 2005.
Dad immigrated to Canada from Hungary in 1956 at the young age of 17. He fled Hungary during the revolution and landed in Canada with nothing but the clothes on his back. During his time in Canada, he built a life that he was proud of. He worked hard to become a Sheet Metal Journeyman and was a proud member and eventual President of Sheet Metal Workers Union Local 511. Dad had a passion for job safety and security and worked hard to fight for the rights of underrepresented workers.
Dad had a passion like no other for downhill skiing. He loved the sport more than life itself. As kids we all grew up on the hill and travelled whenever we could to ski resorts all over Canada and the U.S. He was very involved with the racing community at Spring Hill Ski Club and raced in the Masters Program for many years. Dad never missed an opportunity to ski and was delighted to take Lindsay, Alexis and Noah to Banff in 2018, which would sadly be the last time dad hit the slopes. At 78 we joked that he was probably the oldest guy still shredding the powder.
Dad wasn’t much of a summer guy as he hated the heat, but he did enjoy camping, fishing and cracking open a beer on a hot day and joking around with friends and family. Dad had a sarcastic sense of humour and took every opportunity he could to tell a lame joke!
Dad was a strong guy who fell ill in the summer of 2018 and was eventually diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma in October of 2018. He fought hard with 9 months of chemotherapy and slowed the progression of his cancer for a short time. In early 2020, dad was also diagnosed with dementia and the family made the difficult decision that it was time for him to be properly cared for and he was moved to long term care at Actionmarguerite, St. Boniface. The COVID pandemic robbed us of quality time with dad over these last months, but we take peace in knowing he was cared for by a wonderful team on floor 5B.
In keeping with dad’s wishes, cremation has taken place and no memorial services will be held.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Les to CancerCare Manitoba.
We love you and will miss you always and forever!
E.J. Coutu & Co. Funeral Directors
204-253-508