Obituary of Stephen Szendrei
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Stephen (Steve) Szendrei on January 18th, at the age of 79.
Predeceased by his half-sister Elizabeth (Deak) Beke (2018), his parents Stephen and Elizabeth, and half-brother George, Stephen is survived by his family in Alberta: nephew Joseph Deak and his wife Linda, their children Christopher and Erin (Steve) Fisher and their children, great-great-nephews Jacob and Braden Fisher.
Stephen was born and raised in Port Colborne and graduated in the 1960’s from McMaster University with an MSc in Chemistry. After working in the chemistry lab at INCO in Port Colborne and as a high school teacher in Hamilton, he pursued his passion and obtained an M.B.A. and subsequently began his long professional career with Toyota Canada Inc. in Toronto.
Stephen grew up with dogs and cats in Port Colborne, and although he never had any pets in Toronto, he did tend to spoil the birds and squirrels in his many walks in the parks near his residence. His interests were varied over the years. He loved spending time at the Royal Ontario Museum. At one point, he travelled to Europe with a group on an opera tour. In later years he joined a computer club to learn more about the ins and outs of home computing. And he would always be ready to talk about the classic movies he had recently watched on his favorite Turner Classic Movies channel. We will miss those conversations.
The cancer scourge may have robbed him of his strength and, eventually, even of his memories, but never his determination. Across the years he will always remain close in our hearts.
We wish to extend our heartfelt thanks to the doctors and staff in the Palliative Care Unit at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre for their kindness and compassionate care of Stephen during his brief stay there.
Cremation has taken place, and due to current Covid-19 restrictions, a private family celebration of life will take place at a later date to remember and honour Stephen.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Canadian Cancer Society, the Palliative Care Unit at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto, or the charity of your choice. Condolences may be forwarded through www.humphreymiles.com.
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