Ivan Orosz

COTTAGE GROVEIvan Orosz, 72, of Cottage Grove, died surrounded by his family Friday, October 30, at Oak Park Nursing home after a brief illness. Ivan, born January 1, 1937, in Szombathely, Hungary, was the youngest of Laszlo and Iren Oroszs three sons and a particular favorite of his father. Ivan attended Sopron University in Hungary. Most of his class, including his professors, escaped communist Hungary in 1956 to Austria during the Hungarian Revolution. The class eventually made their way to Canada, where the University of British Columbia in Vancouver allowed the professors to complete their students engineering degrees. Ivan eventually immigrated to the United States to attend Oregon State University where he initiated his masters work in engineering mechanics. While in Corvallis, Oregon, he married his life partner, Janet Sue Jordan, on August 25, 1962. In 1966, he moved to Madison to work as a research engineer at Forest Products Laboratory. He and Janet raised two sons, Les and Bill, in Madison, later settling in Cottage Grove. In the 1970s, he completed his masters degree at UW-Madison and obtained his professional engineering license. He later worked for the UW Physical Sciences Lab on loan to the nuclear accelerator at Fermi Laboratory. He ended his career in 1982 as a consulting engineer at Barrientos & Associates, hired out to CH2M Hill for the Milwaukee sewer project. A back injury cut his career short. Ivans intellectual pursuits and strength of character were his trademarks. He was a voracious reader and collected an extensive library of engineering and math books, which were sometimes stacked all over the house. His forestry research was often published in journals, but Ivan was also dedicated to gathering information about world war history, politics and current events. He was a valued source of advice to his sons and their families, and enjoyed playing the devils advocate any time someone wanted to work through an issue. His son, Les, called him often to talk over the days events on the drive home from work. Ivans family always came together on New Years to celebrate his birthday, which he enjoyed trying to stretch into two days, celebrating January 1 in the U.S. and Hungarian time zones. Ivans physical strength was also legendary, even when his health was otherwise failing. A favorite trick when he was young was holding his wife upside down by her ankles with his arms straight out. When money was tight, he was determined to fix anything that broke on his own, even cars. He loved musicparticularly Hungarian and Austrian composersand opera often swelled the walls of their home. He loved taking his family to Devils Lake and was also very fond of the Canadian Rockies. Ivan found great solitude walking in the mountains and the wilderness. Ivans great regret was his inability to return more often to Hungary to visit his parents. He was extraordinarily close to both parents, particularly his father. His father, a forester with the Hungarian government, wrote him every week and Ivan responded often. Even when poor, Ivan sent his parents money to put running water in their house when they were too old to cart it from the well and purchase a washing machine. Although he strictly believed in tough love and having his children to earn their own money for college and other pursuits, Ivan was very generous with his timeand with his money when it came to his elderly parents as well as his mothers sister, his favorite aunt.One of his passions, because he was disabled and largely housebound, was debating with his brothers, Otto and his late brother Laszlo, known as Laci. His aunt, Magdus Fneisz, was like a sister and they spoke every week, even though she lived in Hungary, to keep up on his old neighborhood and church. Hungarian culture was important to Ivan, but he also welcomed UW visitors from any culture into his home. He maintained frequent contact with dear friends Miklos Pek and Josef Josca Jarfas, who had also moved to the United States from Ivans childhood neighborhood in Hungary. And, before his friend Lajos Biro died several years ago, the two enjoyed weekly conversations and political debate. Ivan is survived by his wife, Janet Orosz and their two sons, Leslie Les Ivan (Stacy) Orosz and their children Abby, Collin, Jonathan, Anaka, Laszlo of Oregon, Wis., and William Bill Andrew (Cathy Fagen) Orosz and their children Cassie, Caitlyn, Michael, Sophia of Monona. He is also survived by his brother, Otto Orosz, and his aunt, Magdus Fneisz. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother Laszlo Orosz. A Mass of Christian Burial will be Wednesday Nov. 4, 2009at 11:30 a.m. at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, 5101 Schofield St., Monona with Fr. John Meinholz presiding. Visitation will be at the church on Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. until time of the mass. The family is collecting donations in lieu of flowers that will be sent to Ivans former church in Hungary. Memorials: The family is collecting donations in lieu of flowers that will be sent to Ivan's former church in Hungary. Visitation: Visitation will be at the church starting at 9:30 a.m. until the time of mass. Service: A Mass of Christian Burial will be Wednesday Nov. 4, 2009at 11:30 a.m. at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, 5101 Schofield St., Monona with Fr. John Meinholz presiding.