Obituary of Bela BALAZ

March 15, 1932 - Várfölde, Hungary
August 10, 2020 – Calgary, Alberta

Bela Balaz, beloved husband of Katalin Balaz, passed away on Monday, August 10, 2020 at the age of 88.

Bela was born in Várfölde, Hungary. As a young boy he used to walk to church at the next village, about three kilometers from his birth place, where he often served as an altar boy. In fond memory of those Sunday services, he donated funds to renovate the interior of that church. He attended high school at the order of St. Benedict in Koszeg and obtained a degree in Petroleum Engineering at the University of Sopron in 1954. He worked in the oilfield of Lovászi as a drilling engineer until 1956. He actively participated in the 1956 Hungarian Revolution and Freedom Fight. Afterwards, he had to escape from communist ruled Hungary and arrived to Canada as a refugee on May 19, 1957. In his absence, the communist authorities in Hungary sentenced him to ten years in prison. He started to work for James A. Lewis Engineering Ltd. as a reservoir engineer in 1959. He became vice president of that company in 1972 and president in 1973. In 1982, he left Lewis Engineering and started his own petroleum reservoir engineering consulting company, Capital Engineering Ltd. He invested in several ventures in the Alberta oil industry.

In 1991, the government of the newly elected free and democratic government of Hungary appointed him to be the Honorary Consul in Alberta for Hungary. In 1998, he was appointed as Honorary Consul General of Hungary in Alberta and Saskatchewan. In that capacity he participated in numerous Federal and Provincial economic delegations to Hungary and other countries promoting trade between them and Canada. In appreciation for his work for his country of birth, the government of Hungary decorated him with numerous medals, including the President’s Commemorative Medal of 1956, Officer of the Order of Hungary, President’s Gold Medal, For the Defense of Homeland First Class Medal, Pro Auxilio Civum Hungarorum, Hero of Freedom, and Pal Maleter Commemorative Medal. He was also awarded the most prestigious civilian medal, the Order of Hungary Middle Cross. He was the President of World Federation Fighters in Canada. He was a founding member of the Hungarian Arts & Heritage Foundation of Alberta, and also a co-founder of the Foundation for the North American Big Game. He was instrumental in organizing the commemoration of the Hungarian Millennium representing the thousand years of statehood of Hungary at the Calgary City Hall. He organized the historic visit of Laszlo Solyom, president of Hungary, to thank Canadians for accepting more than two hundred thousand Hungarian refugees of 1956. His visit included a wreath laying ceremony at a Hungarian monument, Kopjafa, in Prince's Island Park.

His professional and other memberships included the Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists of Alberta, Petroleum Society of the Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Petroleum Society of A.I.M.E., Calgary Petroleum Club, and the Glencoe Golf and Country Club.  Bela was also a member of the Ordo Supremus Militaris Templi Hierolymitani and Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jeruzsalem, and the Hungarian vitez rend.

Bela enjoyed traveling and with his wife, Katalin, visited many countries and all of the continents with the exception of Antarctica. He also loved the outdoors and spent many weekends and vacations camping and hiking in the beautiful Canadian wilderness. In this wilderness, Bela enjoyed his main hobby, sport hunting. He collected more than seventy hunting trophies from around the world. He donated his trophy collection to a museum. Bela was always grateful to his adopted country Canada for providing him with opportunities.

Besides his loving wife of fifty-five years, Katalin, Bela is survived by his daughter Darline (Calvin), his son Richard (Shirley); his grandchildren Derek and Fiona; his sister-in-law Erzsebet; and his nephew Gyorgy (Katalin).  He was predeceased by his stepdaughter Andrea.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at Sacred Heart Church, 1307 - 14th St. SW, Calgary, AB on Wednesday, September 23, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. Bela will be interred in Sacred Heart Columbarium at a later date in a private ceremony. Please contact the family if you wish to attend the funeral mass to reserve space.

A reception will be planned when COVID restrictions allow. Condolences, memories and photos may be shared and viewed on Bela’s obituary at www.McInnisandHolloway.com.