Gizella was born to Lajos Bognár and Julianna Szabó, on February 2, 1935, in Kaposvár, Somogy, Hungary where she grew up in post-war Hungary. At age 17 she moved to Sztalinváros or “Stalin City” (renamed Dunaújváros, Hungary) where she met István Kispál Kovács and married on September 22, 1953. Gizella worked in a restaurant (serving hundreds daily for lunch as they worked to build the city) while István completed his compulsory military service and became an electrician. On October 23, 1956 a spontaneous national uprising began throughout Hungary that lasted 12 days before being viciously crushed by Soviet tanks and troops on November 4, 1956. Thousands were killed and wounded and nearly a quarter-million Hungarians fled the country. Gizella joined the exodus after István fearing for their safety came to her place of work and told her to make up a story that she must leave immediately to attend to her seriously ill mother, so as not to arouse unwanted suspicion. That very same day she left Hungary forever without having the chance to say goodbye to her family.
They escaped to Austria and became refugees. Out of the many possible host countries willing to accept Hungarian refugees they chose the United States. They were processed through Camp Kilmer, New Jersey before finally arriving in Portland, Oregon on Saturday January 12, 1957 with 59 fellow Hungarian refugees. They landed 8 hours later after engine trouble forced them to switch planes in Nebraska. Upon arrival that evening their sponsors drove them immediately to the family dairy, since they listed farming amongst their skills, outside Harrisburg so that they could start work bright and early the next morning.
After trying their luck around the mid-Willamette valley they finally settled in Salem and purchased their first home in 1959. István and Gizella worked hard to build a landscaping and nursery business while Gizella also supplemented the family’s income by doing housekeeping. Together they had 2 children, Gizella in 1962 and István Jr. in 1965. During this time Gizella’s husband restored Wilson Park at the state capital after the Columbus Day Storm of 1962. Thereafter their fortunes suffered a steep decline as István experienced a mental breakdown that was hard on Gizella and the children.
In 1967 the family moved to Beaverton. Gizella wanted the best for her children and tried to keep the family together, but after continuous struggles due to her husband’s mental illness she had to make the ultimate sacrifice. She divorced István in 1978 and the family agreed the children should live with her brother-in-law Joseph Simon and his wife Julia of Calgary, Alberta Canada who became their legal guardians and provided them the stability they needed.
Gizella rebuilt her life, always working 7 days a week, as a housekeeper, tending to her garden and her permanent corner at the Banner Flea Market for 20 years where she enjoyed socializing with friends and customers who also loved her grilled cheese sandwiches.
During this time she became the live-in caretaker for George Tuma’s family for the next 38 years, helping them and their daughter Georgene with cerebral palsy, Gizella became a second mother to Georgene who called her Mom. She created a beautiful garden and regularly invited neighbors over for her Hungarian meals. Later she found her kindred spirit in one of George’s neighbors, Hugh A. Smith enjoying a new love for life until his passing in 1995.
Beginning in 1987 her children eventually moved back to Oregon where they started families and Gizella became “Mama”, a doting, loving, no-nonsense grandmother of five grandchildren: Matthew, Botond, Katrina, Mychal and Moni.
When Hugh passed in 1995, one of Gizella’s close friends, András Bardosi, a Hungarian refugee who arrived on the same plane with Gizella and István in 1957 also lost his wife. The double tragedy brought them together and they became partners, then husband and wife in 2007. Mama and Papa, as the grandchildren called them, enjoyed being loving grandparents and shared the joy of gardening, tending to their hundreds of Hungarian pepper plants, which they both had faithfully planted every year since arriving in the US.
The countless family get-togethers and watching the grandchildren as they grew up was always a great source of happiness until Papa’s passing on May 18, 2015 at age 89. Family meant everything for Gizella who was a survivor throughout her whole life. In her final years her grandsons Matthew, Mychal and daughter Julie took turns living with Mama so that she could continue to live her own inimitable style in her own home.
She passed away in her sleep on the morning of Easter Monday, April 22, 2019.
Gizella is preceded in death by her first husband István Kispál Kovács, her brother-in-law Joseph J. Simon and sister-in-law Julia J. Simon of Calgary, Alberta, older brothers Jenő and Lajos and younger sisters Julia and Magdi of Hungary. She is survived by her two remaining younger siblings Rózsi and Sebestyén in Hungary.
She leaves as her legacy her 2 children: Gizella “Julie” Makarowsky (Roman Makarowsky) of Tualatin and Steve Kovács (Ágnes Forgó Kovács) of Portland and 5 grandchildren Matthew Makarowsky, Botond Kovács, Katrina Bonney (Brandon Bonney), Mychal Makarowsky and Monika Kovács.
She also leaves to cherish her memory her niece Magdi Keresztény of Fonó Hungary, Georgene Tuma of Portland, her niece and goddaughter Theresa Johnson née Kispál Kovács of Vancouver BC and her goddaughter Maria Nagy-Gellai of Tillamook and other family and friends.
Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon her. May she rest in peace.
Amen
“Aj luv ju!”
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