Laszlo Acs arrived in Canada in 1957 with almost nothing. He had fled Hungary with his mother shortly after the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, escaping across the border to Austria, leaving behind his roots, language, culture and career. Making his way to Canada, he settled in Montreal where he had to begin all over. Learning a new language, adapting to a new culture, taking on odd jobs while earning his Chemistry degree again.
Laszlo successfully completed his studies and went on to work for Noranda’s Canadian Copper Refinery (CCR). Over the next thirty years, Laszlo worked his way up to executive management earning the respect of the management team, his employees and the organization. Because of his strong sense of values, integrity and leadership, he earned the respect of everyone that he worked with and was referred by his colleagues as the conscience of CCR. He was also a member of several international copper industry associations, where he was recognized for his knowledge and expertise. His daughter Katharine describes it simply: that was just the work ethic he had.
Eva Acs' path to Canada was different but equally determined. Born in Gödöllő, a village near Budapest, she immigrated to Belgium as a young child along with her mother shortly after the end of the Second World War. They arrived in Montreal when Eva was around 16. A few years later, Eva joined Bell Canada where she was quickly adopted by her colleagues. Throughout her years at Bell, Eva help many different roles including one that had her travelling to the regions of Quebec, where she formed close connections with the families she met. This was one of Eva’s most endearing qualities, her ability to create relationships with people. Whether it was with her colleagues at Bell, or later with her colleagues at Sears or her friends in Kingston, she was appreciated her for warmth, generosity and of joie de vivre.
Laszlo and Eva met at a church social event in Montreal and were happily married for 56 years until his passing, raising two children and welcoming three grandchildren. In 1996, ready for a fresh chapter, Laszlo and Eva chose to move to Kingston. It proved to be exactly the right fit.
"It became their home, their community," said Katharine. "They had a wonderful group of friends."
Community was never a casual word for the Acs family. Both Laszlo and Eva were active in their churches. Eva volunteered at a local retirement home, supported the Heart and Stroke Foundation, and gave freely to a long personal list of charities. She joined the Newcomers Club and later its Alumni Association, and when she lost Laszlo, she found a bereavement walking group and eventually ended up speaking on a panel to support others in similar grief. That, Katharine says, was simply her mother.
"It isn't a one-time deal. It's something that will give and give." -- Katharine Acs-Charter, daughter of Laszlo and Eva Acs
After Laszlo passed, Eva quietly established what would become the Laszlo and Eva Acs Memorial Fund at the Community Foundation, directing it toward infant mental health and the well-being of families from the prenatal stage through a child's first three years. She never mentioned it to her children.
"That is so mom," Katharine said. "It's just something she would totally do."
The fund's focus reflects something deeply personal. Eva had longed for a large family, and her commitment to supporting infants and young families was rooted in her own experience of how fragile and precious those earliest years can be.
When Eva passed in 2023, Katharine discovered the fund while settling the estate. Her first reaction was surprise. Her second was pride. She and her brother Laszlo have since added to the fund in their mother's memory, ensuring that what Eva began quietly will keep growing.
"It isn't a one-time deal," Katharine said. "It's something that will give and give, which I think is amazing in itself."
