- Date Of Birth: February 11, 1934
- Date Of Death: July 16, 2023
- State: Ohio
Margaret Csepe (nee Bódi)
February 11, 1934 – July 16, 2023
Born in Makó, Hungary to simple, God-fearing parents, Margaret as a child loved her Heavenly Father and his Son Jesus Christ, serving them faithfully, never wavering, through the church she grew up in known as the Apostolic Christian Church Nazarene. Throughout her life many people were inspired and blessed by her willingness to share and discuss Scripture at great length. She always had a verse or two, always had an anecdote, usually from the Psalms, that she would share with people who were interested.
She had other loves of course – one of them was family. She met her husband, Robert Csepe, in Hungary. They married in October 1954. The two would remain together until the end, loving, striving, working as a team. There was hardship, especially for Mom. In January 1957 Dad said he and Mom are leaving Hungary for a better life, a life where work is rewarded, where there is a more solid future. Mom was crushed at the prospect of leaving her home in Hungary, but she and Dad crossed the Hungarian/Yugoslav border by foot on January 7th, 1957, leaving family and friends for a while, in the hope of a better life. Mom was 6 months pregnant at the time. She was tough, strong, willing to serve and endure.
They arrived in Akron, Ohio in November 1958 with their now one and a half year old son Zoltan, born in a refugee camp in April, 1957 and armed with faith, hope, resolve, and aided by a loving Church which was in the same spiritual vein as the one in Hungary. They went straight to work – Dad was a tailor, working as such during the day. In the evening, he brought his work home to earn more money. He taught my mom the simple procedures first like altering pants of a suit, then altering the sleeves. Soon she was helping him in many aspects of tailoring so that they could have money to invest. She helped him, she loved her children, she cooked, and did everything and more. Mom rarely got tired, rarely got sick, was never too weary to give her children hugs, kisses, and affection.
She loved cooking for everyone! All you had to do was make a request and you got it – paprikas, fasirt, sütemény, tórta, Krémes, and several varieties of leves, and of course – palacsinta! All of these are Hungarian dishes of course.
There’s one more thing in her life must be mentioned before closing – poetry. The ability she had to recite Hungarian poetry was uncanny, no – incredible! Many of our Hungarian friends knew some poems, some of the people knew a stanza or two, and when their memory faltered, she was able to finish any poem anyone began, every verse, every time, verbatim, no stuttering, no searching for words – period! It was amazing!
Mom and Dad brought four children into this world. Robert Jr. was the first (1956 – 1989). When my parents left Hungary in 1957, Robert remained in the care of my mom’s parents until he could be reunited with his own parents. This was extremely difficult for both my parents, especially my mom.
The second child was Zoltan, born in a refugee camp in Bitola, Macedonia, Yugoslavia April 4, 1957. Zoltan lives in Copley, Ohio and is married to Sheri. They have 6 children (all boys). They are: Michael (Kristina), David (Kimmy), Mark (Ashley), Thomas, Steven (Alexa), and Timothy (Brooke). Zoli and Sheri have 12 grandchildren.
The third child of Margaret and Robert is Attila, residing in Norton, Ohio, married to Valerie. They have three children: Ellen (Jon), Morgan (Alex), and Justin (Alyssa). Attila and Valerie have three grandchildren.
The fourth and last child is Brenda. She lives in Copley, Ohio and is married to Brett. They have a daughter Courtney (Birkan), who are expecting a baby, and a son Taylor.
Mom was preceded in death by her half-brother Imre Jr. (1924 – 1983 He had no children); her beloved parents Imre (1900 -1976) and her mother Viktoria in (1900 – 1978), her son Robert Jr. (1956 – 1989), and her husband Robert (1929 – 2002).
We as a family are grieving, but at the same time we are comforted with the faith-based knowledge that she fought the good fight – one of service, love, devotion to God and family. We are confident that she is in the arms of her (and our) Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever.
