Tivadar "Ted" Szabo

Ted is survived by his loving wife Barbara of 52 years, daughters Erika Hunting (James) and Eva Szabo-Brandt (Glen), as well as his grandchildren Janelle and Julie Hunting and Kody Brandt, all of Edmonton. He is also survived by his nieces Martha Szabo of Kitchener and Krisztina Szabo (Kristian and daughter Phoibe Clarke) of Toronto/Vancouver, as well as his sister in law Klara Szabo of Mississauga. He was predeceased by his parents Imre and Margit Szabo and his brother Zoltan Szabo

Ted was born in Ecs, Hungary and lived through World War 2 as a child there. He was a bright student who loved learning, and was fortunate to live close enough to be able to attend The Benedictine High School of Pannonhalma as a day student. Subsequently, the communist government would not allow him to go to University, so while working as a machinist on a train at the age of 18, he and others made the risky decision to run the train across the border, surviving explosives on the track to become a refugee in Austria, during the Hungarian Revolution in 1956. An accomplished soccer player as well as academic, he received a scholarship to attend the Universite Catholique de Louvain in Belgium to study physics, and played soccer in Europe before deciding to come to Canada to follow his brother. He arrived at Pier 21 with $20 and a newspaper and made his way to BC. He received a scholarship to attend the Sopron Division of the Faculty of Forestry at UBC, and played soccer for them as well. He had many exciting summer jobs fighting forest fires, working in the forests of BC and Alberta, and even helped to build the West Coast Trail! He then pursued his Ph.D. in Forestry and Engineering at Virginia Tech where he met Barbara, who was studying at nearby Radford. They married and eventually returned to Canada, living all over the country with their children, including in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Alberta.

He worked in many different roles in government and industry in Forestry and Science and loved his work. It afforded him the chance to travel extensively, including to Finland and China. He loved working so much that he only just retired a couple years ago from his position as Director of Forest Products Innovations at Alberta Innovates Bio Solutions, when he was simply unable to continue. Even in retirement he continued to enjoy scientific journals and committee memberships. He was an accomplished gardener and took great pride in all the wonderful things he was able to grow- even managing to successfully have a backyard vineyard in Edmonton! He also took great care of many trees and other plants, and enjoyed the outdoors and time with his dogs. Incredibly hard working, when he was physically able, his idea of a good time was building a fence! Later, he enjoyed car rides with his wife and visiting city parks to watch the geese. He was always incredibly good at math, physics and chemistry and was a secret weapon for his children if they needed help in these subjects, even at the senior university level! His knowledge was always sharp and there was nothing he could not solve. He loved his family very much, especially adoring his grandchildren, and always had time and some gruff wisdom for them. They also brought out his impish sense of fun. He provided a stable, loving home, a contagious love of learning and higher education, and engendered an incredible respect for his strength and resilience. Ted lived his life well and leaves a legacy to be very proud of. He created opportunities for his children and family that he never had in his youth. He was much loved and respected and will be missed. A private funeral will be held for the immediate family. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the University of Alberta or your local University in honour of Ted’s love of learning.