Obituary of Imre (Emery) Varga

May 12, 1930 – Vásárosmiske, Hungary

January 15, 2022 – Calgary, Alberta

It is with much sadness, but with so many loving memories, that his wife Margaret, and family share the news that Imre passed away of natural causes at his home on Saturday, January 15, 2022 with his family around him.  He was 91 years old.

Imre was a presence in our lives and the life of his community (family, friends, church, work, culture, and sports). We are grateful for Imre’s influence on each of us.  We will remember and hold dear his unconditional love and acceptance, his unwavering faith in Christ, in family, in his wish for us all to succeed – in Faith, in learning, in challenging work, and in the community.  He always had our best interests in mind.

Imre was born on May 12, 1930 in the village of Vásárosmiske, Hungary. He was the youngest of five children of Magdolna Balogh and Vince Varga, who valued and respected being a hard-working, family-loving Roman Catholic family. The backdrop of WWII that literally played out in his village and the local district impacted his formative years.  After graduating from high school with honours, Imre obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Petroleum Engineering (1954) from the University of Miskolc - Sopron. Following his undergraduate degree, Imre worked as an engineer in Budapest, at the Head Office of the Mineshaft Building Construction Trust Company. In the evenings, he took classes at the university working towards his Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering, which unfortunately he was not able to complete as the Hungarian Uprising in October 1956 broke out.

With a strong passion and pride in his homeland country, he actively participated in the Uprising. He was elected Chairman of the Revolutionary Labour Council at his workplace.  In the late fall of 1956, Imre was faced with the most difficult choice of his life, but by necessity, escaped from Hungary to Austria, where, by fate, he met up with former Sopron University colleagues in Vienna.  Through a sponsored relationship between the Mining Engineering faculties at the Sopron University with the University of Toronto, Imre made his way to Toronto via Montreal, arriving in early 1957.  Shortly afterwards, he met Margaret, and a few months later they married. They then moved to Calgary hoping for a better chance to utilize his petroleum engineering background.

After finding work as a drilling roughneck and then a draftsman, Imre was successful in demonstrating his technical proficiency of his education. In 1960, he became registered as a Professional Engineer with the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA). As a petroleum engineer at Texaco Canada Limited, he worked for nearly 30 years in various technical, operations, business venture and management roles of increasing complexity and responsibility.  He was a natural problem solver that, when coupled with his education, made for very interesting, and often elegant and practical solutions. One of his fondest memories was his experience as the lead project manager on a deep-water drilling venture off the coast of Newfoundland which included a deep-water dive to the ocean floor to check out the blow out preventer system, while marvelling at the numerous fish species of all colors and sizes.  After Texaco he spent five years at the Alberta regulator, then the Energy Utilities Board, supporting the Drilling and Production Department.  While there, Imre was placed on a special assignment from 1990 to 1993, participating in an international committee to review, update and rewrite the Hungarian Mining, Oil and Gas Laws and Regulations.  For this work, Imre received the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit from the Government of Hungary with the acknowledgement of the Government of Canada.

Between 1994 and 2010, Imre worked as a Petroleum Engineering Consultant on various local and international projects. He developed both keen professional and personal relationships while working with his First Nations clients, providing technical and educational sessions.  After an extensive and rewarding professional career, Imre finally retired at the age of 80!

Since his arrival in Calgary in the late 50s, Imre became one of the leaders in the Hungarian community in Alberta.  Imre was instrumental in the development of the current St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church in Calgary.  As Chairman of the Building Committee, under his leadership the church (and hall) was built in 1962/3.  From 1965 to 1969, while stationed in Edmonton for work, Imre assisted in helping build youth camp facilities at Pigeon Lake for the Hungarian Scouts group associated with the Edmonton St. Emeric Church.  Upon returning to Calgary in 1970, Imre continued to appreciate and assist the Hungarian Cultural Centre of Calgary serving on its Council (Board of Directors) and the St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church Parish Council. He was invited to present at many Hungarian community cultural events related to important Hungarian historical dates as well as his first-hand experiences of the 1956 Hungarian Uprising. In recognition of these activities, he was nominated for an APEGA Summit Community Service Award.  He continued his community service in later years as a key contributor on a volunteer committee that produced the book “St. Elizabeth of Hungary Parish, Calgary” (2013), published in both English and Hungarian languages, detailing the history of Roman Catholic Hungarian immigrants in the Diocese of Calgary from 1870 to 2009.  Thanks to Dr. Professor Emeritus András Kósa (Budapest), a copy of the book is held in the National Széchényi Library, Sándor Palace, in Budapest.

Imre always had a soft heart when it came to helping someone, especially young people. He supported opportunities for individuals to further their education, in some cases financially and in others as a mentor.  Additionally, not forgetting the economic challenges he faced in attending high school, he (and his wife Margaret) set up a scholarship at the high school he attended in Celldömölk, Hungary to assist high academic achievers with financial difficulties with funds to support their education.  In 2008, the City of Celldömölk formally recognized Imre for his contribution of setting up the scholarship fund. As well, Imre enjoyed providing historical and experiential talks of the Hungarian Uprising to high school students at their schools within Calgary. All his efforts to the community were greatly appreciated.

Imre enjoyed getting together with business associates and friends at the Petroleum Club. He was also an avid badminton player at the Glencoe Club where he enjoyed playing men’s and mixed doubles for over 30 years.  In 2008, he with his team partner, Doug Kyle, won the 55+ Provincial Championship Badminton men’s doubles, 75+ age Class.

Imre also enjoyed travel. As a family, we drove gravel roads to Northern Alberta oil and gas drilling sites, highways through mountain passes to the West Coast, across Canada to Montreal for Expo 67 as well as south to Spokane for Expo 74. In the mid 70s, Imre set up a family vacation spot in the East Kootenays, which the extended family will continue to cherish for years to come. Imre also felt it vital to provide his children and grandchildren with the opportunity to travel to Hungary, to meet his family and show them the country. In addition to family trips, he travelled with Margaret, to the Great Pyramids of Egypt, the Parthenon in Athens, the Colosseum in Rome, and St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.  He also knew how to relax poolside in Mexico, Venezuela or Cuba with a good book.

Guided unwaveringly by his Faith and principles, Imre was a man of integrity.  He was generous with his time, his energy, his talents and his resources as exemplified in his interactions and projects with his family, church and sport.  Imre will be remembered for his passion, resilience and fairness in whatever he did or faced.  He gave his best, and encouraged his co-workers, business associates, family and friends to do the same.  He loved telling stories about events that happened in his life, stories that reflected the highs and lows and the sense of humour and joy that he had working side by side with his colleagues or remembering events of his childhood or life in Canada.  In all his endeavours, Imre’s heart and intent was to ensure a sense of fairness, dignity and help for others.  He was proud of his adopted country Canada, the opportunities, accomplishments, and joy it provided to him, while never forgetting his birth country, Hungary, and its people and heritage. He will be missed.  He will be remembered.

Imre is survived by his loving family, Margaret, his devoted wife of 64 years; their children, Vincent J. (Susanne), Andrea (Paul), Emery P. (Suzanne), and Monica; their grandchildren, Zoltán, Thane, Jeremy (Lisa), Jacqueline (Adam), Sean, Vincent E. (Katherine), Vivien and Olivia; and great-granddaughter Reese.  He is also survived by his sister Mária in Hungary, her children and grandchildren, and the nieces and nephews and their extended families of his predeceased siblings: sister Apollónia and brothers, Vincent and János. Imre was also predeceased by his father Vince (1955) and mother Magdolna (1996).

In light of COVID-19 restrictions, a Private Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church, 819 – 13th Avenue. SW, Calgary, AB. Condolences, memories, and photos may be shared and viewed at www.McInnisandHolloway.com. If friends so desire, memorial tributes may be made directly to the charity of the donor’s choice.

The family would like to thank Dr. Carolyn Wong and the rest of the Alberta Health Care Services Homecare team, as well as CBI and Home Instead caregivers for their support and care over the last two years.

In living memory of Imre Varga, a tree will be planted in the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area by McInnis & Holloway Funeral Homes, Park Memorial, 5008 Elbow Drive SW, Calgary, AB T2S 2L5, Telephone: 403-243-8200.