Ilona Bekefi, 83, died Sunday, October 28, 2018 at her home in Glenwood, NJ surrounded by her loving family. Born in Cseteny, Hungary to Varga, Istvan and Magyarosi Terez, she was one of 13 children. She emigrated first to England after escaping during the Hungarian Revolution uprising in 1956 and joined her brother, the late Joseph Varga who had escaped before her. There they lived and worked to make a better future for themselves and help provide what they could to their remaining family in Hungary. Her years in England, she spent working at the Ransom Sanatorium in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. She married her husband, the late Joseph Bekefi, in October of 1959. She and Joseph had met while working in the coal mines of Dudar, Hungary. After giving birth to her first child, she left England and went to the United States to join her husband settling in Passaic, NJ. Ilona was mostly a homemaker, raising her four children (Terez, Joseph, Laszlo and John) and factory worker, working for Eastern Overall in Garfield, NJ, Dexters in Wallington, NJ and finally Presto Lock in Garfield, NJ. She resided in Garfield before finally moving to Glenwood some 30 years ago.
Ilona’s passion was her family… children, grandchildren and family abroad. In her retirement years she enjoyed cooking for her family, spending time with her grandchildren and tending her flower garden.
She will be lovingly remembered by her daughter Terez and her husband, Arpad Takacs, of Lincoln Park, NJ, her sons Joseph Bekefi and his wife, Lorraine of Wayne, NJ and Laszlo Bekefi of Glenwood, NJ, her adored grandchildren Nicole, John, Jesse, Andrew and Christopher, and cherished niece, Teresa Kilday and her family and nephew Geoffrey Varga and his family.
She is survived by her dear brothers Laszlo Varga and Lajos Varga and their families, both in Cseteny, Hungary and her dear sister Erzsebet Pihokker of Tes, Hungary and her family along with many nieces and nephews.
A Funeral Mass at St. Francis de Sales R.C. Church, Vernon, NJ, will be held on Saturday, November 3, 2018 at 11 AM and following the family would like to receive their friends at the Wallkill Valley Memorial Post #8441, 313 Route 94, Vernon, NJ 973-764-9380 at 1 PM for the repast.