Maria (Slezak) Varro

Maria Varro, beloved mother of Maria, Imre & Katalin (Kathy), passed away at the Foothills Hospital at the age of 89 surrounded by her family.

Maria was born in Rakoskeresztur, Hungary, on February 20, 1935, to Janos & Maria Slezak.  As a young girl growing up, she helped her parents as they worked on the family farm, by cooking & looking after her younger sister.  Her younger years were very difficult as she lived through the German occupation of Hungary prior to & during WWII, when she witnessed atrocities of the Holocaust & losing Jewish family friends.  After WWII, she was subjected to the Soviet occupation that started in 1945.  During these years she was assigned jobs at various factories.  In August of 1956 she married Imre Varro.  Shortly after, on October 23, 1956, the Hungarian Revolution took place, in which Imre & Maria were part of the resistance to the Soviet occupation.  They made a valiant & dangerous escape from Hungary to freedom in Austria, where they spent 6 months in a refugee camp.  They had chosen the USA as their original destination, but were encouraged by their Catholic priest, that the better land of opportunity was Canada.  They departed via Italy to cross the Atlantic on the final voyage of the cruise ship Ascania, arriving in Saint John, NB after 12 days at sea.  They travelled across Canada by train & chose Calgary as their final destination.  They settled in Calgary, & her first job in Canada was as housekeeper for the late Senator Harry Hays.  Soon after they had their first child, Maria, born in February 1958.  She stopped working to raise her child, & two years later her son Imre Jr. was born in February 1960.  After a few years of being a homemaker, she & her husband started their own Painting & Decorating business.  She continued working with her husband as they transitioned to owning an Awning Manufacturing company.  Their hard work resulted in accumulating several real estate properties.  In 1972, they decided to start farming & purchased land south of High River.  They lived on the High River farm until Kathy was born in December 1977.  Soon after they sold the farm in High River & purchased a farm outside of Didsbury.  In 1984, Maria separated from Imre, which culminated in their divorce in 1987.  She then started her new role as a single parent, facing various challenges.  She purchased a home in Calgary where she focussed on parenting, living a very devout Catholic life of deep faith, enjoying her interests of gardening, crocheting, cooking, & entertaining her family.  She could also now enjoy her 4 grandchildren, Crystal born 1984, Jennifer & Travis both born in 1987, & Taylor born in 1991.  She really enjoyed vacations with her family & attending all her grandchildren’s activities such as gymnastics, dance, speed skating, hockey, soccer, etc. 

At age 75, Maria started experiencing various health challenges, but this never slowed her down or stopped her from enjoying life, being determined & very independent.  As the years progressed & her health deteriorated, her faith in God grew even stronger.  Until her passing, Maria lived her life with courage, grace & a deep faith in God’s loving presence.  We were so blessed to have her in our lives & she will be cherished in our hearts forever.

Maria was predeceased by her brothers Janos Slezak, Pista Slezak, & sister Katalin Keller (nee Slezak).  She is survived by one sister Julianna Slezak, as well as many nieces, nephews and relatives in Hungary.

Maria is survived by her three children:  daughter Maria (Mike), grandchildren Crystal (Tyler) (great grandsons Erik and Evander), Jennifer, Michelle (Rocky) and David; son Imre (Sherilyn), grandsons Travis (Christal) (great granddaughters Maxine and Porter), and Taylor; daughter Kathy.  As well, Maria had many friends.

Special thanks to the staff at Newport Harbour Care Centre who cared for Maria with love, compassion & friendship for the past 5 years.  Also a special thanks to all the nurses & staff at Foothills Hospital Unit 42 for their compassionate care during Maria’s final days.

Family & friends are invited to Prayers & Visitation, to pay their respects at Evan J. Strong Funeral Services North (3625 – 12 Street NE) on Tuesday, December 10, 2024, at 7:00 p.m.

Funeral Mass will be held at Corpus Christi Church (404 Northmount Place NW) on Wednesday, December 11, 2024, at 10:30 a.m.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Maria (Slezak) Varro, please visit our floral store.