Fraternity-Testvériség, 2003 (81. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
2003-01-01 / 1. szám
FRATERNITY Page 23 A földi találkozások elmúlnak, de egy kedves ének emlékeztet bennünket a nagy találkozóra: Ott, az égi honban fenn, Jézusunk kebelén, Isten velünk, viszontlátásra. Taba János: református egyházunk gondnoka, a Református Egyesület washingtoni osztályának elnöke, az Amerikai Magyar Szövetség oszlopos tagja, gondos családfő, szerető férj, édesapa, nagyapa! Isten velünk, viszontlátásra. Bertalan Imre Sámuel Vespremi 1921-2002 Samuel Vespremi was bom on October 9, 1921, in the small town of Monaville, West Virginia. Samu was the seventh child, the fifth boy, bom to parents Veszprémi Sándor and Szatmári Eszter. Daniel was the oldest child, then came Edith, Esther, Paul, Julius, and Géza. Samu’s birth was followed by the births of Goldie, Louise, and Clara. There were also half-brothers John, Alex, and Joseph, who were children from father Sándor’s previous marriage in Hungary. Edith, Goldie, and Clara all died at young ages.... All the rest have been called Home by God with the exception of Louise. All these children, coming and going in a small home, were supported and loved by hard-working parents. Samu always gave thanks to God for his family, for his parents, for the hard scrabble, coal mining life of West Virginia, in which he was raised. The Vespremi family story had its beginnings way before the days of West Virginia and half a world away. Father Sándor was bom in Vas County, Hungary, in the town of Szergény. He came to America in 1905, seeking to create a better future for his family. Unfortunately, while he was here, his wife, Zsuzsanna, passed away at home in 1906. Sándor was left a widower, with three sons many miles away. Samu’s mother, Eszter, was born in 1886 in the town of Csenger, Szatmár County, Hungary. Eszter came to America at age 20 in April of 1907. She was among the many immigrants who successfully completed the examinations of Ellis Island. She eventually moved to be with a cousin in Virginia where she met Veszprémi Sándor. Sándor and Eszter were married on December 14, 1907. Samu always gave thanks to God for his Hungarian heritage and for the history of the Veszprémi and Szatmári families. He visited Hungary, and he kept in contact with his relatives. He especially appreciated the people of Csenger and Szatmár megye. He showed his love for the people in this region by being an active member of the Szatmár Megyei Egyesület, which meets at the American Hungarian Reformed Church of Allen Park. At 6:00 A.M. on the morning of his memorial service, 12 Noon Hungary’s time, the church bells in the Reformed Church of Csenger were rung in tribute to Samu and in thanksgiving to God for his life. Samu also embraced those distinguished character traits brought to America by his Hungarian ancestors. He was a hard worker, as were his parents. Soon after graduating from Logan High School, Samu and his family moved from West Virginia to Detroit, where they settled on Logan Street. He spent a 40-year career in the shipping department of the Whitehead and Kales Steel Firm of River Rouge. In 1942, Samu enlisted in the United States Army and, for 37 months, served America with honor in the Pacific Theater. Later in his life, Samu became a loyal member of the Veteran of Foreign Wars, Post #5572, in Allen Park, Michigan. Samu loved his Hungarian language and the Hungarian Music. Samu had a strong faith in God, a faith, which gave him hope, strength and encouragement throughout his long life. In Detroit, the Vespremi family joined the West End Avenue Hungarian Reformed Church. Soon after mother Eszter and some of the family moved, in 1955, to the family home on Balfour Street, Samu and other family members began worshipping God in the Grace Reformed Church on Pelham Rd. 6651 Balfour has remained Samu’s home ever since 1955, but in recent years, he and Louise came back to their spiritual home joining the American Hungarian Reformed Church, some seven or eight years ago. Samu was a 50 plus year member of the William Penn Association and a 60 plus year member of the Hungarian Reformed Federation of America. He served on the Boards of Directors of both the HRFA, in Washington, D.C., and the Bethlen Home in Ligonier, Pennsylvania. (The above is an excerpt from the Memorial Service officiated by the Rev. Imre A. Bertalan on November 16, 2002.) r—————————————————i HRFA Upcoming Events: I • Meeting of HRFA Board of Directors | Home Office, Washington, DC: I April 28-May 2,2003 I • Ohio District Meeting Walton Hills Church, Cleveland, Ohio Saturday, May 3,2003 • Pennsylvania District Meeting Duquesne Hungarian Reformed Church Saturday, June 14,2003 | __________ J
