Mihaly Bokody

Mihaly Bokody

Mihaly Bokody, age 98, passed away suddenly in an accident at his home in Centennial, CO where he had lived for 39 years. He was born on Nov. 16, 1918 in Budapest, Hungary to Mihaly and Maria (Kiss) Bokodi.

Mihaly was born at the end of World War I and grew up in Budapest, Hungary. He served 4 years in the Royal Hungarian Air Force during World War II. He married Anna Schoneg in 1944 & their only child, Andrew, was born at the end of the war in 1945. While in the military, he served as a mechanic, cook and ambulance driver transporting injured soldiers off the battlefield. He also helped move supplies. During the war, he contracted tuberculosis. With no real treatment at the time for tuberculosis, he was strong enough to survive, even when many of those around him got worse & died. Then in January 1956, during the escalating violence of the Hungarian Revolution against Russian oppression, Mihaly, age 38, his wife, Anna, age 49 & their son, Andrew, age 11, narrowly escaped across the Hungarian Border into a Yugoslavian Refugee Camp where they stayed for 10 months.  They were finally able to immigrate to the US and their dream of America & FREEDOM on Nov. 9, 1957, landing by plane in New York City. Within days, they took a train to Denver, Colorado, where he has lived for 60 years. He loved America & was so proud to be an American. He never forgot what it was like to be afraid & oppressed. He always felt very blessed & thankful. Family will always remember him looking up at heaven and saying, “Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.”

His first job in the United States was at Spitzer Auto Electric in Denver, CO repairing starters & dynamos.  His 2nd job was as an airplane mechanic at the Sky Ranch Airport in Adams County, Colorado. Then, he worked for 25 years at Honeywell, Inc. He worked in the Test Instrument Division as an Electrical Technician building Galvanometers under a microscope. He was so proud that some of the galvanometers he had built actually went to the moon in US space mission technical equipment. He first retired from Honeywell in 1984, but was called back to work by Honeywell and worked until 1987, when he was 70.

Mihaly outlived two wives, living the last 20 years, healthy, strong willed and independent, driving, cooking, managing his own finances and in his own home, even at 98 years old. He married Anna Schoneg in 1944. They had one son together and were married 24 years, before she died in 1968. Then, in 1970, he met Barbara Joan (Lang) Healey at his Honeywell, Inc. job and they were married in 1971. They moved from Denver, CO to Centennial, CO in 1978. She died in 1997. They were married 26 years.

His hobbies were: 1) FCC Amateur Ham Radio 2) Classical music and polka music 3) Studying nutrition 4) Gardening 5) His computer & computer games 6) His Smartphone 7) Repairing electrical & mechanical things 8) Watching TV programs: “How It’s Made”, Discovery Channel, traveling, machines & technology. 9) He was an avid Football fan, and followed tennis, ice skating & car racing. He loved watching the Olympics. He thrived on teasing & playing with his 4 yr. old great granddaughter. His mind was always busy with reading and learning. He was kind and generous and was always happy & had a positive outlook. He lived in the present & never appeared to worry or be sad. He was an inspiration for all ages.

He was preceded in death by: both of his parents; his older brother Andor Bokody (who died at the age of 4); by both of his wives, Anna Schoneg & Barbara Joan Lang; and his step daughter Barbara Gail (Healey) Christianson.

Mihaly is survived by: his son Andrew (Ava) Bokody; his step-daughter Ava (Healey) Bokody (also wife of his son Andrew Bokody); his grandchildren, Alex (Janette) Bokody, Kristi Bokody (Dave Black); his step-grandchildren, Cari Kite, Dawn (Chad) Nelson; his great granddaughter Natalie Bokody; his step-great grandchildren, Brad and Lane Nelson.

A small graveside service with cremation interment will be at Mount Olivet Cemetery on Monday, May 1, 2017 at 10am. He will be buried beside his first wife, Anna (Schoneg) Bokody.

A Celebration of Life Ceremony will follow with family and friends at Andrew & Ava Bokody’s house on Monday, May 1, 2017 at 1-3pm.

Family and friends are welcome to share stories and photographs of Mihaly here on his website (click appropriate tab on the left side of this page).