Pál (Paul) Somlai (né Schwartz)

(September 10, 1913, Sopron – March 24, 1998, Victoria)

Written by Iván G. Somlai /ईभानशोम्लई

My Father was born in Hungary. His Mother Szidonia Rosenfeld, and Father Győző Schwartz, along with his brothers Aladár (wife Anni) and Rudi (wife Kati) were deported from Sopron during the Holocaust, never to be heard from again. My Father’s saving grace was that his superiors in Sopron vouched for his exceptional expertise, essential for successful continuation of the company.
Having postgraduated from Lausanne as Textile Engineer, he then worked at Soproni Selyemipar (Sopron Silk Industry), later as Plant Manager at Ditex, and finally at Lőrinci Fonó (Lorinc Textile Factory) in Budapest, where he also coached the factory’s handball team and was also an adept tennis player.
On November 30, 1946 he married my Mother Lilla (Lilly). We resided in a small, apartment at Ronyva Utca (Street).

During the 1956 revolution we were twice caught trying to defect to Austria, but fortuitously succeeded on our third attempt. After a stint in a refugee camp, we were sent by train to Trieste, Italy, from where our family sailed on the Saturnia to Halifax, and thence proceeded by train to Montréal in January 1957.

There, as is an immigrant’s common story, work in my Father’s expertise was unavailable because of his lack of English….even though he spoke French fluently! After driving taxis until 1963, having considerably improved his English, he was hired as Director at Dominion Textile Ltd.

Post retirement in the late 70s, my parents moved to Victoria with three other families with whom there was a long established relationship; they were thus able to continue a close friendship, adding to their circle some wonderful local friends.

My Mother and Father are sincerely missed by my dear wife, Sabita Maharjan, myself, as well as our dear daughters Ashiyana and Matina.

Surnames of my Father’s ancestors include: Chajjim, Pressburg, Hermann, Löb, Schiller, Schwartz, Rosenfeld, Thayer, Dutton, Landon, Rostás etc., going back to 1807.