ATTILA BIMBO
1928-2017
My friendship with Attila goes back more than sixty years. This is when Attila and his wife Elfriede moved into the semi-detached house next door to my parents when I was in my late teens or early twenties. They lived upstairs on the other side of the house in the central part of Toronto.
I have fond memories of all the wonderful times I spent with Attila and Elfriede over the years. I would like to share four of these memories with you because they are very special and convey a great deal about Attila and what a fine person and wonderful man he was.
The first memory occurred shortly after Attila and Elfriede moved into the semi-detached house on Rushton Road. I would often come home on a Friday or Saturday night and they would be having coffee and cake with my parents. They were such warm, friendly, and sincere people. I remember thinking they would make ideal Canadian citizens, which turned out to be the case. They worked very hard, appreciated their European roots, were totally committed to Canada, and never fought. I know this because my bedroom was on the other side of the wall from theirs in the semi-detached house. I never heard a single argument or fight. I learned later that Attila was the perfect gentleman.
Many years later, my wife Nancy and I had the privilege of attending Attila’s graduation ceremonies when he received his B.A. degree from the University of Toronto. It was thrilling to hear Attila’s name being called and watch him receive his degree. What made this so special was the fact that Attila took night classes for many years to get the degree. We admired him immensely for this, as it must have been very difficult after putting in a full day at work. However, Attila was an extremely determined individual who put his heart and soul into everything, including learning German at the Goethe Institute in Toronto and many other activities.
Another favourite memory was visiting Attila and Elfriede at their cottage in Haliburton. Attila loved nature and the natural environment. Unlike Hungary, which only has one major lake - Lake Balaton - Ontario has thousands of lakes and Attila and Elfriede were fortunate enough to have virtually an entire lake to themselves at their cottage. Attila was in his element here. He liked nothing better than going to the cottage, enjoying the peace and tranquility there, and feeding the chipmunks and squirrels. For many years prior to this, he and Elfriede camped regularly at Algonquin Park and many other locations.
My final memory was singing Christmas carols at our house with Attila and Elfriede, my family, and my brother Murray and his wife Eleanor. Our traditional “carol sing” never changed. It ended with singing Attila’s favourite carol - Twas in the Moon of Wintertime - and then Elfriede’s favourite O Tannenbaum (O Christmas Tree). It was here that Attila was at his best - as a kind, compassionate, playful, and caring person.
My family Nancy, Charlene, Susan, and myself feel blessed to have known Attila and shared so many wonderful times with him. Not only did he make an excellent contribution to Canada and was a very dedicated Canadian, but also he was a wonderful godfather to Charlene and Susan. He will always be remembered and remain in our hearts, as will this commemorative service organized by Nancy.
Paul Schafer
Funeral Service
Saturday, June 24, 2017
Toronto, Ontario
