Browse the obituary of residing in the province of Alberta for funeral details
Obituary for
Ivan Bela Rakovszky
Ivan Bela Rakovszky, beloved husband of Nancy, passed away peacefully on November 17, 2023, after a long battle with Frontotemporal Dementia.
Ivan was born in Hungary on July 22, 1946, to Janka and Bela Rakovszky. He and his sister, Kathy, together with their cousins, spent their youth enjoying summers together. As the oldest, Kathy did her best to try and keep him out of trouble, but it was a battle she rarely won. Ivan also spent many hours working alongside his father, learning the piano tuning trade and even went on to earn his certification. He left Hungary as a young man of 18 and spent a year in Denmark before he followed his sister Kathy to Canada in 1965.
Most of his work was with the city. Ivan started with Edmonton Transit as a bus driver and ultimately became a safety officer, spending 36 years with ETS until his retirement in 2007. He never stopped his piano work, operating a small home business which kept his fingers on the keys, his heart filled with music and the rich relationships he had developed and enjoyed with so many of his customers.
Ivan was not a man who liked to keep his feet on the ground – his first adventure was scuba diving. His trips to Bonaire and San Salvadore fed both his love for travel, as well as his need to swim with the fishies. He then discovered that you could have fun in the air as well. He took up parachuting and “jumping from perfectly good planes,” as he would say. And if he was going to jump out of one, he might as well learn to fly as well. Once he had earned his private pilot’s license, he managed to convince almost everyone he knew to go flying with him. And they even came back for second and third trips! He was a lifelong learner, so he chased his next adventure and became a licensed sailboat captain. And if you are going to sail a boat, why not build one? Together with Ivan’s partner in crime, Peter, he spent thousand of hours “rubbing the boat” as they liked to call it. In truth it was a great excuse to have a few beers, tell and retell stories, and spend time with his very best friend.
Ivan is survived by his wife, Nancy, after loving and laughing with her for 41 years; sister, Kathy (Joe); daughters, Cora-Lea (Les), Melissa and Amanda (Bob); grandchildren, Kyle, Kelly and Sarah; grandkitties, Loki, Gracie, Simon and Ben. He leaves behind numerous friends, and his loss is especially felt by his “second family”- Peter and Tina Hohn, along with their children.
The family wishes to thank all the special staff of the Kipnes Centre for Veterans for the loving care and affection they gave him while he resided there. Their kindness and compassion extended to his family and friends, offering great comfort.
At Ivan’s request, no service will be held. In lieu of flowers and memorials, we ask that you do an act of kindness in his name.
2023
Death notice for the town of: Edmonton, Province: Alberta
death notice Ivan Bela
Rakovszky 2023
obituaries notice Ivan Bela
Rakovszky 2023
We offer our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Ivan Bela
Rakovszky 2023 and hope that their memory may be a source of comfort during this difficult time. Your thoughts and kind words are greatly appreciated.