January 10, 1932 - September 10, 2019
With sadness, the family of John Szauer announces that John passed away September 10, 2019, in Williams Lake, BC.
John was born in the village of Pula, Hungary, on January 10, 1932 - second of five children of Janos Szauer and Katalin Lautner. He was educated in Pula, and then in Budapest, where he trained as a machinist. In 1954 he began studies in forestry at the University of Sopron - studies interrupted by the Hungarian Revolution of 1956-and in 1957, with fellow Sopron students and faculty, he arrived in Canada to continue his education at the University of British
Columbia. In 1958 he married his Sopron classmate and sweetheart Klara Szikszai.
They graduated together in 1959 from UBC's Faculty of Forestry Sopron Division. After working for a private
forestry company, John joined the BC Forest Service and moved his young family to Prince George, becoming a Registered Professional Forester. In 1972, he transferred to Williams Lake, where he worked as a Planning
Forester and then Forestry Manager. John became Regional Manager of the Cariboo Forest Region in 1984, until his retirement from the Forest Service in 1988. From 1989 to 1991, he served as Commissioner on the BC Forest Resources Commission. John and Klara then formed Greentop Forestry Services, a family-operated forestry consulting business serving clients in the Cariboo-Chilcotin area.
Balancing his professional accomplishments, John was a skilled violin and accordion player. Over the years, he was a member of several bands, and his music and pun-loving sense of humour enlivened many get-togethers with family and friends. Family was all-important to John. Building a home for his children overlooking Williams Lake was a great happiness, and later he enjoyed his granddaughters growing up next door. Trips to Hungary for family reunions and hosting visiting family from Europe maintained strong connections to his roots.
John never stopped missing Klara, his wife of 41 years, who passed away in 1999.
John is lovingly remembered by his daughter Katalin, sons John, Thomas (Sarah) and Augustine (Johanne), granddaughters Kalysta and Matiya, family in Hungary and Belgium, and many good friends and colleagues.
In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to the Alzheimer Society of BC. A celebration of John's life will be held at a later time.