Devoted life partner, caring mother, and loving grandmother, Irene passed away peacefully, surrounded by her immediate family, on March 17th, 2026. Born in Hungary and raised in the small village of Ókörítófülpös, she enjoyed a warm rural childhood with her parents Jozsef and Ida, her brothers Josef and Sandro, and a close circle of friends.

From an early age, Irene developed a love of cooking and baking, which led her to work in the family restaurant in Budapest, where she met the man who would become her husband, Janos (John). Inseparable from their first meeting, they quickly made the life-changing decision to emigrate to Canada together in 1956.

Irene was just 18 years old when she said goodbye to her parents, family, friends, and the only life she had ever known. In the dead of night, she and John, accompanied by two close friends, Maggie and Alex, left from Budapest during the Hungarian Revolution in November 1956. To avoid detection by Hungarian Border Guards monitoring the Hungarian-Austrian border, the four travelled disguised as servants as they made their escape.

Before reaching Canada, they made a brief stop in England, where Irene and John were married. They arrived in Canada on May 17th, 1957, landing first in Winnipeg before taking a train to their final destination in Toronto. They settled into the growing Hungarian community at 1 Major Street in downtown Toronto, where they built lasting friendships with many couples who would remain in their lives for decades.

With the birth of their two sons, their family was complete. Irene and John moved into a new home, where Irene devoted herself wholeheartedly to raising her boys and supporting John as he launched his furniture design business. She embraced every role that was asked of her, and she gave herself to each one fully.

In those early years together, Irene and John enjoyed travelling and entertaining friends at their cottage in Lagoon City. Irene was an avid cook and baker and you would always find her in the kitchen, trying out new recipes to share with whoever happened to be visiting. She was also a passionate collector of Hungarian linens and Herend figurines, treasures she brought home from every trip back to Hungary and displayed with pride throughout her home and cottage.

Irene's family was at the centre of her daily life. She delighted in watching her grandchildren Julian, Zachary, Damian, and Klara, grow and flourish. During her later years she took to gardening, spending all her time outdoors tending to her vegetable and flower gardens and fruit trees, most often with John by her side.

Irene was a strong-willed, resilient, and deeply practical woman who gave generously of herself and consistently put others before her own needs. Throughout her life, Irene carried Hungary with her, in her kitchen, her collections, her hospitality, and the quiet resilience that had defined her since the night she left Budapest at eighteen.

She is survived by her husband John, her sons Jon and Richard (Laura), and her grandchildren Julian, Zachary, Damian, and Klara. Her love, strength, and spirit remain with us always.

Nyugodjon békében.