Fraternity-Testvériség, 2003 (81. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
2003-07-01 / 3. szám
Page 30 TESTVÉRISÉG Obituary The Rev. John Paul Nagy 1912-2003 The Rev. John Paul Nagy, a clergyman who founded the Hungarian Church of Reformation in Miami, Florida, passed away on May 26, 2003. The Rev. Nagy was born and raised in Szekely Keresztur, Hungary, where he studied education and civil engineering. That region of Hungary became part of Romania after World War I. As World War II raged through Europe, the Rev. Nagy escaped to the United States, reuniting with his father, who had been working at an Ohio steel mill. The pair worked together for a short time, but the Rev. Nagy longed to return to his homeland. It was only because of the ongoing war that he was persuaded to stay in the United States. The Rev. Nagy studied theology at Bloomfield College and Seminary and worked as a student pastor in Staten Island, New York. In 1947, he married a childhood friend, Elizabeth Orbán, who had moved to Montreal, Canada. After serving a Hungarian church in Detroit for 12 years, the Rev. Nagy relocated to Miami’s First Hungarian United Church of Christ. For him, Church was more than just a workplace. It was his life. The Nagy family would spend at least four days a week at Church, attending dinners, meetings, and prayer sessions, his daughter, Gloria Vecsesi, said. “Church was like an all-inclusive thing for us,” she continued. Under the Rev. Nagy’s direction, the Hungarian Church of Reformation was built in 1965 across from the Dade County Auditorium in Miami. He served there for 24 years until the church was sold. Although he considered himself retired, he organized and ran a congregation that met monthly in the McArthur Chapel at Miami Shores Presbyterian Church. He is predeceased by his eldest son, John Paul Nagy, Jr., and his grandson, Imre Tokos. He is mourned by his wife of 56 years, Elizabeth Orbán Nagy; two daughters, Gloria (Anthony) Vecsesi and Gizella (Steven) Guba; three sons, Peter Paul (Magdalen) Nagy; Sándor Balazs Nagy; and Charles Zoltán Nagy; nine grandchildren; and three great grandchildren. We sadly note at the closing of this issue that our dear Honorary Secretary, Bela Toth, was called into his eternal home on Friday, September 19, 2003, in Ligonier, Pennsylvania. On behalf of the Hungarian Reformed Federation of America family, we extend our most sincere sympathy to his wife, Maria. Lapzártakor kaptuk a szomorú hirt, hogy Tóth Béla a Református Egyesület tiszteletbeli titkára péntek, 2003 szeptember 19-én vissza adta nemes lelkét Teremtőjének. Az Amerikai Magyar Református Egyesület nagy családja őszinte részvétét fejezi ki az elhunyt özvegye, Tóth Mária felé.
