This obituary is assembled from a variety of sources, mostly recollections from various people who knew him at different times and places.
You know how Hungarians always introduce you last name first (see above). This causes no end of confusion about people’s names. Try “Mr. János.” Actually, in the American South Mr. John would work quite well.
János was born in Budapest in 1913 to a prosperous bourgeois family. His father was a business executive in a furniture manufacturing concern; his mother a housewife. Janos had a sister (whose name is unknown to us) and a brother, Emil, who became a Benedictine monk (though he did not exhibit monkish ways, as those who knew him attested).
Little is known of János’s early years, of his schooling or lack of it. Presumably, he attended the same Benedictine schools as his brother. Whenever Janos encountered a priest after that, on any continent, he would say to them, “Laudetur Jesus Christus.” The exact meaning of this particular Latin formulation eludes us; it means something like “Praised be JC.” Upon completion of his studies (he always said he had a law degree), he spent time in the theatre. Yes, it appears he was an actor on the Budapest stage. It is not known what work he did before he was drafted into the Hungarian army in World War Two, however.
(more to come)
