Obituary of Marton Kesmarky

Marton (Martin, more affectionately known as Papa, Marci, or Api) died peacefully on Canada Day, July 1, 2020 at age 95.

He was predeceased by his loving and devoted wife Edit (Edith, Dici) in 2000, his elder daughter Zsuzsanna (Susanna) in 2010, his mother (1944), his father (1967), his step-mother (1990), and his brother (2006). Marton leaves behind many family members to remember and celebrate his life – daughter Klara Kesmarky Miller (Regina) and grandsons Tristan (Nadya Smirnova) Miller (Vienna, Austria), Noah Miller (Calgary), and Lukas Miller (Regina). Papa was the proud great-grandfather of Kingsmere (Calgary) and Ilarion (Vienna). He was especially close to his relatives in Hungary, including his sister Iren (Cuci) Toth and his many nieces and nephews.

Marton Janos Ference Knechtl was born in Budapest on May 6, 1925 and in 1941, was renamed Marton Kesmarky after his father changed the family surname due to war-time issues with German heritage. Marton was wed in 1949 and he and his wife and two young children came to Canada in 1956 as refugees from the Hungarian Revolution. They arrived and settled in Regina on December 21, 1956, a month after a perilous crossing into Austria. 

It was many years until he returned to his former homeland, but something he then regularly did up until 2018.  His Hungarian extended family looked forward to his visits every year, loved him and cared for him while he was there. While he was proud of his Hungarian heritage, he was even more proud to be Canadian. Since the passing of his wife, annually he hosted Hungarian exchange students at his house and he promoted the city of Regina, along with his love of the province of Saskatchewan, and the great country of Canada to these young students each year. It seems fitting for him to have died on Canada Day, after embracing and loving this country as his own.

He spent his employment years in Canada as a Professional Civil Engineer with the Saskatchewan Departments of Agriculture and Highways, and mainly with the federal government’s Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Act (PFRA) administration. Marton loved his work and was a proud contributor to the establishment of promoting and developing water supply projects across Saskatchewan, which included providing technical and financial assistance for individual farm water supply projects such as dugouts, wells, and pipelines.

Marton bred and cultured freshwater and tropical fish for most of his life. He was well known throughout Regina as an aquarist. In 2018, he published, with the help of a family friend, History of Hobby, a book documenting his appreciation of fish and aquaculture.  He was the subject of many fishkeeping magazine articles, a distinguished member of the Regina Aquarium Society, and the recipient of several awards for photography, writings, and other activities.  Among his favourite fish were discus, angelfish, and cichlids.  In 1961 he was one of the first people ever to breed one of the first commercially available black angelfish on the market in Saskatchewan.

Marton touched many lives with his unique character, his wit, and his intellect. He had a love for the outdoors, nature, and all living things. Besides fish, he also raised salamanders, and enjoyed the company of his pet dogs and cats throughout his life. He would often take in wounded wildlife, and nurse them back to release to their habitat.  He could always be counted on to tell endless stories, instigate interesting conversations, or engage in debates about nature, religion, politics, space explorations, or the meaning of life. Time spent with Papa was always interesting and well spent. He was happy to give advice – but more likely he would tell you what to do and expect you to follow his directives! He loved good food, a good game of Bridge when he often bid 6 no trump out of the blue (and often won), good company, beautiful flowers - he could make most any plant grow and blossom with his green thumb. Most importantly, he loved his family and cherished his friends.

Our family would like to thank Dove House Care Home for their loving care over the past two years. Also thank you to the kind doctors and nurses on ward 3D at the Pasqua Hospital for their comforting care at the end of his life.

Memorial Service will be held at Speers Funeral Chapel, 2136 College Avenue, Regina, SK on Friday, July 17, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. Due to Covid-19 restrictions seating will be limited.