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Published August 19, 2011, 09:36 AM

Days Gone By (Aug. 18)

On Friday, Aug. 5, the family of longtime River Falls’ residents Mate and Theresia Szedlak gathered for the day at Hoffman Park to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Szedlak family coming to America.

By: Pat Hunter, Archivist, River Falls Journal

On Friday, Aug. 5, the family of longtime River Falls’ residents Mate and Theresia Szedlak gathered for the day at Hoffman Park to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Szedlak family coming to America.

In 1951, Mate, Theresia, and their three children, Erno, Anna and Mate Jr., escaped from Hungary after the Communists took power.

The family, sponsored by Ezekiel Lutheran Church and Forest McEwen through Lutheran Refugee Services, traveled aboard the U.S.S. General S. D. Sturgis, landing in New Orleans.

They then traveled north by train, and settled in River Falls, eventually residing on North Pearl Street.

Mate died in 1992 and Theresia in 1994. Today their descendants live in Eau Claire, Milwaukee, Fridley, Minn., Edgewater, Colo., and San Jose, Calif.

It was the first time in 40 years that the whole family was together. (The last gathering was for the funeral of Anna (Szedlak) Fazeli.)

This gathering was the first time ever that all five of the grandchildren had been together. Also present were all their spouses and all nine great-grandchildren. Many family members met each other for the first time. Also joining the family were longtime friends Lyle and LaVerne Zastrow of River Falls, their daughter Linda, and her son Jeffery.

Planning for the occasion started last fall when Ruth, the Szedlak’s youngest granddaughter friended her cousin’s Piruz’s wife on Facebook. The two had only met twice and that was 20 years ago, also in River Falls. Her cousin’s wife, Patricia asked, “So when are we all going to get together?” That started a chain of e-mails, phone calls and Facebook communication.

Early in the planning stages it was decided that the family needed to spend at least one day in River Falls, as the city holds many memories for the family. The Fazeli brothers from California also made a family trip to River Falls earlier in the week to take in more of the sites. Other family reunion activities included a Mississippi River boat ride and a gathering which included sharing family photographs, and a game focused on memories of Mate, Theresia and their home in River Falls, along with an unplanned talent show by the great-grandchildren.

Ruth (Szedlak) Gaba writes, “My grandparents were longtime members of the garden club. I have my grandmother’s garden club membership card from 1981. The garden was quite impressive… it had a large raspberry patch and Grandma would often sell surplus berries to the local grocery store on Main Street.

“They were members at Ezekiel until they died. My father is their oldest son Erno who was ordained in River Falls in 1965.

“All three children graduated from high school in River Falls — Erno in 1955, Anna in 1956 and Mate Jr. in 1961.

“My grandfather worked in Hudson at the Frigidaire refrigerator factory and my grandmother worked in River Falls as a seamstress at Lang Wear. They retired in 1966 and in the fall took a trip around the world.”

Editor’s note: See more photos of the Szedlaks online this week.

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