Eva Bessenyey

HAMILTON - Eva Barcza Bessenyey - born December 19, 1924 in Szentmartonkata, Hungary. Daughter of Eva (Koos) and Lajos Barcza, educated in Budapest and moved to Lausanne, Switzerland in 1943 prior to the German invasion of Hungary. She studied languages and while there completed an interpreter's program. She met her husband, Francis Bessenyey, in Lausanne that same year. They thoroughly disliked each other upon first meeting. This changed with the German invasion of Hungary when they both realized how much they had in common, and they got married on November 23, 1946 in Lausanne. Francis emigrated from Europe to the United States in 1946, with Eva following him in 1947. Eva and Francis settled in New York City in a five story walkup-- "a damn hot place"-- and Eva started working for the French bank Societe Generale. To Francis' dismay, as secretary of the bank's general manager, Eva earned more than he did. She was promoted several times, eventually becoming head of the payments department.

Eva continued her work with this bank until 1959 when her first daughter, Margit, was born. She and Francis had two more daughters, Ilona and Kristina. She was the consummate mother, caregiver and peacemaker. She knitted, sewed, cooked, managed three kids' schedules for the next 20 years and, according to Francis' own words, "kept him in line." She was always there to support Francis in his increasingly busy professional life, while also making sure he remained an integral part of the family. She also knew more than many scholars on a myriad of subjects, yet never made people feel inferior given her vast knowledge.

Eva returned to work in the late 1970s for FACSEA, the French Cultural Services as a film librarian. She continued working for them for the next 20 years, retiring in 1990. She received a medal of honor from the French Government for her work, the Order of the Academic Palms. Her retirement took her and Francis to Alaska, Florida and Montana for visits with her children and grandchildren.

She loved the opera and music of all kinds. She watched Jeopardy and Antique Roadshow regularly and did the New York Times Sunday Crossword puzzles. She also loved reading and being with her family. Retirement gave her the opportunity to enjoy these activities even more. She remained active on the boards of several charitable Hungarian organizations until very recently.

Eva had started coming to Hamilton, Montana in the late 1950s to spend time with Francis' stepmother, Margit. Over the years she became a regular at Chapter One Bookstore, Tuesdays at 12, Thursday evening concerts at the Band Shell, the Farmer's Market and other Hamilton community events. Eva became an increasingly important part of the Bitter Root Stock Farm and enjoyed spending time feeding the animals on the ranch.

Eva suffered from Grave's disease which caused a debilitating and ever worsening eye condition that ultimately left her blind. Notwithstanding her poor eyesight, she continued up to the end to translate Hungarian books about the Hungarian political situation into English. Eva never complained about her declining health over the years, always maintaining her composure in the face of her struggles. Eva passed away on December 27th with her husband holding her hand and her family at her side.

Funeral Mass was held on Thursday, December 31, 2009 at St. Francis Catholic Church with burial at Riverview Cemetery in Hamilton, MT. Memorial donations may be made in Eva's name to the Hungarian Knights of Malta, P.O. Box 31136, Bethesda, MD, 20824.