CARY

On December 1st, 2021 Susanna Koltai of Cary, NC passed away. She was the beloved wife of George Koltai, a relationship that spanned 70 years, loving mother to Peter Koltai (Rita) and Judy Hodgins, dear sister of Smuel Erez, AgiSzekely and Veronica Endler, cherished grandmother to David, Ben, Lizzy, Gabrielle, Nicki and Lewis, loving daughter to Jenö and Elizabeth Lengyel (Löwy before the war), and great
grandmother to eight.

Susanna was born in Budapest, Hungary, where she had an idyllic childhood surrounded by her large extended family. Her family would spend summers at Lake Balaton. At the age of 16 during one of these annual trips, she caught the eye of a handsome young man, George. He declared that day he would marry her, but these plans were interrupted. Trouble was brewing in Europe. In the coming months, both Susanna and George were forced to wear the Star of David on their clothes and as Jewish citizens, were banned from pursuing higher education. As tensions grew, Susanna and George were eventually separated by the Germans; while George was taken to a labor camp in the Carpathian Mountains, Susanna and her sister Agi were placed in a camp just outside of Budapest. The rest of the family was similarly separated, with Susanna's father being taken to Dachau in 1944.

Little did the Germans know, Susanna was a fighter. Two weeks after arriving to the camp, she courageously escaped in the dark of night with her sister and Aunt Kato. Against all odds, the war came to an end, and Susanna's family members had survived, reuniting in Budapest. As promised, George returned to Budapest, and in 1946 made Susanna his wife. In 1949 they were overjoyed to welcome their son Peter into the world.

However, trouble was again brewing in Europe. In October of 1956, George and Susanna watched as the Hungarian Revolution brought more discord to Budapest. As Russian tanks rolled in and Molotov Cocktails shot off in the background, George and Susanna made the difficult decision to leave their home in Hungary. That December, Susanna and George walked from Budapest with little more than a rucksack and a 7 year old
Peter in tow.

Miraculously, they made the journey across the Ferto Lake into Austria. After a year and a half spent living in a refugee camp in Vienna, their dreams were answered. In 1960, Susanna, George, and Peter arrived by boat to the United States. Life was once again full of hope and promise, and in 1961, they welcomed their beloved daughter Judy, the first American in the family!

Susanna thrived in her role as a mother, homemaker and member of the Whitestone Hebrew Center. She was an active volunteer and member of the sisterhood at the synagogue and loved to participate in their annual shows. Her favorite place was the beach and the family spent many happy summers at Rockaway in Queens, New York.

George's career as a patternmaker in Manhattan's garment district was flourishing and together, he and Susanna tvelled the world. Susanna was a lover of the arts, well-versed in fine art, history, classical music, ballet and theatre. She was an avid reader and loved to needlepoint.

In 2000 Susanna and George retired to North Carolina to be near Judy and her three young children. They were active participants in the daily lives of Gabrielle, Nicki and Lewis and very involved at Beth Shalom Synagogue, where they helped create the Tanakh Talks program. Sussana became the primary caretaker of George as he was gripped with Alzheimer's dementia for seven years. Upon his passing, she moved to Searstone in Cary where she lived the rest of her life, near Judy.

Funeral services will be held on Sunday December 5 at 2 P.M. at Beth Shalom Synagogue in Raleigh, NC. The family requests that all in-person attendees be masked and vaccinated. An internment will follow at the Raleigh Hebrew Cemetery in downtown Raleigh. (approx. 3:30pm).

Memorial contributions may be made to Beth Shalom Synagogue, HIAS.org - originally the Immigrant Aid Society that helped Jews fleeing the pogroms of Europe, the organization that helped my parents get initially settled when they arrived here in America, today known as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society and currently assisting Afghan refugees, or the charity of your choice.

Arrangements by Montlawn Funeral Home, Raleigh, North Carolina under Jewish
Funeral Practices.

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