June 30, 1913 – July 28, 2018
Edith Kapka, age 105, of Mount Angel, Oregon, died peacefully of natural causes on July 28th with her family by her side. Her husband John, to whom she was married for 44 years, preceded her in death, as did three of her ten children, daughter Georgette Marie, and sons Ladis Joseph and Emeric William.
Edith was born to Antonia Majer and Lajos Vértes, M.D. on June, 30, 1913, in Budapest, Hungary. Educated in Budapest and Antwerp, Belgium, Edith had an inquisitive scholarly mind and was an avid reader, especially of books about history and science. She was fluent in five languages: Hungarian, French, German, Flemish, and English. Upon graduating from the gymnasium, Edith took classes in child development at a college in Antwerp. This led to employment as a governess to three children of a Belgian family.
During one of her Christmas visits from Belgium to Budapest, Edith met her future husband, John Kapka, at the party of a mutual friend. They immediately hit it off, and became engaged soon after. Edith remained in Belgium for the next year and a half to complete her contract as governess. John and Edith married on June 20, 1938 at St. Emeric’s Catholic Church in Kelenföld, Budapest. Edith gave birth to their first child, a daughter, Edith, in 1939, and four children followed in the next five years, Georgette, Mary, John, and Alice. As for many, the war years were difficult for John and Edith. The Soviet occupation of Budapest after World War II was instrumental in their decision to relocate, and with their five children and Edith’s mother, Antonia Majer, John and Edith left Hungary for Belgium. In the two years they lived in Belgium, Edith gave birth to her sixth child, a son, Steven. Fearing the spread of Stalin’s power, John and Edith said goodbye to Europe, and found passage on a Liberty Ship bound for New York. They arrived in early November, 1947, and later in the month, their seventh child, a daughter, Margaret, was born.
The family lived in New York for almost two years before John was offered a position in Cleveland, Ohio, where they moved in 1949, and where another daughter, Elizabeth, was born. Four years later, John and Edith bought a home that would accommodate the family in rural northeastern Ohio. In 1953, a third son was born, Emeric, and the following year, another son, Ladis, the last child in a family of ten. Edith busied herself with running the household while John worked, sometimes two jobs, to provide for the large family. In 1967 John and Edith became American citizens. It was a proud and happy event in their lives.
After John’s retirement from Penn Central Railroad, Edith and John travelled extensively in the U.S. and Europe, staying winters in Spain where they befriended many expats in the coastal community of Almería. After the birth of numerous grandchildren, they returned to the U.S. to live in Willow Springs, MO where they were immediately welcomed into the community, and where they lived for less than a year when John suddenly passed away in 1982. Ten years later, Edith moved to the west coast to be closer to her children and grandchildren. She lived in Salem, Oregon; Port Townsend, Washington; Mill City, Oregon; and briefly in Overland Park, Kansas before settling into Orchard House in Mount Angel, Oregon, in November, 2012. The family that John and Edith started has grown to include 23 grandchildren and 18 great grandchildren.
Edith’s thoughtfulness, compassion, strong will, sense of humor, and positive outlook helped her overcome many obstacles in a long and fulfilling life. But if you were to ask Edith about her greatest accomplishment, she would respond by saying that it was raising ten healthy children. At an advanced age, Edith’s kindheartedness and love of life continued to make her many new friends. She will be greatly missed by all who knew her.
Edith was a gifted storyteller, drawing on her long and richly textured life. After the death of her husband John, she began writing about her experiences living in Budapest during World War II. Eventually these stories became the basis for a book of fiction entitled Roots and Branches, coauthored with her daughter Marga. On Edith’s 104th birthday, she was presented with a special edition of the book by her granddaughter Ruby, who created the cover design.
A mass will be held in Edith’s honor on Saturday August 11th at 11:30 am in the chapel of Orchard House in Mount Angel, Oregon. All are welcome to attend. In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions to the Providence Benedictine Orchard House, c/o Deana Wentworth (503.845.2544) to provide educational support for the dedicated and caring staff that Edith became close to during her stay there.
