Bethlen Évkönyv, 1993-1996 (Ligonier)
Halottaink
longed to read, learn, and travel; he longed to breathe freely. The choice was between his beloved community and freedom. He left, but part of his heart remained. After a brief stay in Vienna, he received a fellowship from Union Theological Seminary in New York. He arrived in March, 1957. By the following March he wrote a thesis and was awarded an S.T.M. degree magna cum laude. He left Union three years later with a doctorate in theology. That summer, 1961, he married his fellow student and friend, Aurelia Takacs. Zoltán taught and served as college chaplain at Wheaton College, Norton, MA., and at The College of Idaho, Caldwell, Idaho. He was pastor of congregations in New York City, Pittsburgh, PA, Lyndhurst, NJ, and Bedford Park, Bronx, NY. For the last 13 years he was chaplain to Bergen County, NJ, serving mainly at Bergen County Hospital. He was a very complex person. Zoltán was endowed with great intellectual capacity and had a very well-trained mind. But he was shy, even timid, introverted and meek, a thoroughly humble person. Yet, he had a boyish spirit, loved laughter, tennis, skiing, and lately jogging; he loved nature, forests, water, and all creatures. His integrity and sense of justice never deserted him; he was a fighter for justice. His faith was rooted and grounded in Christ; he nurtured his soul as he nurtured ours. He lived according to his faith. While snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, Zoltán had a heart attack. He died the following night. This was the last day of a five-week vacation; every day was a new joy for him until his heart failed and ours broke. He loved us, his family, with unreserved love, utter loyalty, and with warmth we will miss all our days. He is deeply mourned by his family: his wife Aurelia and his children, Peter and Susan and their spouses Mary and Robert, his grandson Cameron; also his sisters Magda and Ilonka and their families in Hungary. Even with tears and weeping we want to thank God for Zoltán, beloved and loving son, brother, husband, father, grandfather. Aurelia Fule 446
