It is with profound sadness that we announce the peaceful passing of Judit Ilona Kovács (nee Dr. Judit Ilona Laczó) on February 8, 2025 surrounded by all her children and grandchildren.
Judit will be lovingly remembered and deeply missed by her children Catherine (Evan), Gregory, Christina (Dustin) and Anita, as well as her beloved grandchildren: Evelyn, Hugh, Benedict and Maximus. Judit also leaves to mourn extended family in Hungary, and many dear friends near and far.
Judit is predeceased by her husband Kálmán Attila Kovács in 2011, her brother László Laczó and her parents János Laczó and Ilona Laczó (nee Winkler) of Budapest, Hungary.
Judit was born in Velence, Hungary on April 12, 1947. She lived in Budapest from the age of fifteen. After completing high school, Judit spent the summer hitchhiking throughout Eastern Europe with friends before beginning her studies in dentistry at the Semmelweis Medical University in Budapest. Graduating at the top of her class in 1970, Judit relocated to Berettyujfalu in Eastern Hungary where she began her dental practice. It was there that Judit met Kálmán at a musical event - and they promptly fell in love. Judit and Kálmán made a difficult decision to leave their families and ancestral home in 1973. They married in Austria in November 1974, and Judit continued to practice dentistry for two years while awaiting emigration to Canada. Judit and Kálmán landed in Edmonton in May 1975, ultimately choosing St. Albert in 1981 to raise their growing family. Judit loved St. Albert and called it home for nearly 45 years.
Judit and Kálmán were fortunate to have the support of many new Canadian friends and a vibrant Hungarian community in Edmonton in adjusting to their life in Canada, which Judit reciprocated many times over throughout her life with her caring and generous spirit in helping newcomers to Canada from all walks of life feel welcome and supported. Judit also found immense joy in singing and music, a passion she and Kálmán shared during their life together. She was also an avid gardener, nurturing - and always gifting - flowers, plants and herbs every summer until her health no longer allowed. Judit was a caring friend and neighbour, and had many treasured connections through the Hungarian community and churches, choirs and musical organizations, the local yoga community, and Muriel Martin School where she worked for many years. Her adventurous spirit and quirky sense of humour were persistent and enduring, even as her health declined suddenly in the last year of her life.
Judit will be remembered for her kindness, generosity, and gentle, soft-spoken nature - but perhaps most of all for her love and devotion to being a mother and grandmother. Her grandchildren brought her so much joy, and truly were the light of her life.
We will carry the memory of our dear Mama, Nagymama, friend, ally, and confidante in our hearts forever.
A celebration of life service will be held at The Connelly-McKinley St. Albert Funeral Home, Saturday March 1, 2025 at 10 a.m.
To share photos, memories, and condolences, please visit www.connelly-mckinley.com
