Mr. Joseph Vargyas

May 30, 1936 - May 18, 2022

Joseph Vargyas of Milltown, NJ passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family, on May 18, 2022 at St. Peter's Hospital in New Brunswick at 85 years old. Born in Szil, Hungary, Joseph left his beloved Hungary at the age of 20 in the aftermath of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution against Soviet occupation. He settled in New Brunswick in 1957 under the sponsorship of his aunt, Laura Tarro, and uncle, Dr. Joseph Vargyas. Joseph attended Rutgers University evening school to learn English and became apprenticed in Local 432 Plumbers & Pipefitters. After additional study in the fields of plumbing and construction he received his plumbers license and was employed by Richardson Engineering as a construction supervisor and later as construction manager on such projects as Mobil Chemical, Exxon, Johnson & Johnson and Rutgers University. At retirement in 1994 Joseph was a project manager at Donald C. Rodner Corporation. Joseph is predeceased by his loving wife Katalin Lehoczky (d. 2011), his parents Jozsef and Valeria Vargyas, his sisters Emilia, Gizella, Irene, Maria and brother Kalman. He is survived by his loving children and their families, Joseph R. Vargyas of Salt Lake City Utah, Dr. George Vargyas and his wife Denise Marlowe of Salt Lake City, Utah, and his daughter Kathleen Bellone and her husband Michael Bellone of Marlboro, NJ. Joseph is also survived by his cherished grandchildren, Lillian Vargyas, Forrest and Kessler Vargyas, Kelly, Olivia, and Ethan Bellone, and by his nieces Dr. Rita Vocsey and Zsuzsa Vocsey, and nephews Csaba Vargyas, Viktor Jakab, Attila Jakab of Magyarovar, Hungary, and Geza Horvath of Somerset, NJ. He also leaves behind his loving partner, companion, friend, and caretaker Emily Redler and her children Steve and Sybil Redler, Dr. David and Karen Rosenfeld, and granddaughter Sara Redler, and his special little buddy, Teddy. Joseph was a 50 + year member, officer, President and Trustee of the Hungarian American Athletic Club. He was chairman of the club's building committee and instrumental in negotiations and construction of the new HAAC building in New Brunswick. He was an officer and member of Our Lady of Hungary Benefit Society, member of Local Union 9 Plumbers and Pipefitters, St. Ladislaus Church, HAAC Choir, the Hungarian Foundation, and Milltown Senior Citizens Club. RV traveling was Joseph's favorite hobby. He and his wife Katalin enjoyed retirement at the Jersey shore and traveling all across the United States and Canada. They fell in love with the Canadian Rockies, where they had a summer residence. His favorite trip was from New Jersey to Alaska and back by RV. Joseph was proud of his Hungarian heritage, loved his friends and community, and was grateful to America for the gift of freedom and opportunity it provided him. Visitation will be held at the Gowen Funeral Home, 239 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ on Sunday, May 22, 2022 from 4 - 7 pm. Funeral Mass Monday, May 23, 2022 at 10 am at Holy Family Parish-St. Ladislaus Roman Catholic Church, 213 Somerset Street, New Brunswick, NJ. Entombment at St. Peter's Cemetery, New Brunswick, NJ. In lieu of flowers please consider a donation in Joseph Vargyas's name to: Milltown Rescue Squad – https://www.milltownrescuesquad.org/donate Alzheimers Association - www.alz.org Dementia Society of America – www.dementiasociety.org Hungarian American Athletic Club - https://magyarklub.org/en/ Hungarian Foundation - https://www.ahfoundation.org/