Obituary of Andrew Zoltan Beke

Dr. Andrew Zoltan Beke, 86, of North Plainfield, NJ, husband of Dr. Margaret Rheinweiler Beke, died Saturday, Feb. 2, 2008, at the Haven Hospice at J.F. Kennedy Medical Center in Edison. Born Feb. 5, 1921, in Budapest, Hungary, Dr. Beke was a graduate of the University of Budapest Medical School. He was forced out of Hungary by the Nazis, and worked as a dentist in a hospital in Aichstaett, Germany prior to becoming a displaced person after WWII. He served as a staff physician at the Baby Clinic Bagnoli-di-Napoli, Naples, Italy, and then as a ships surgeon for 18 months caring for WWII refugees on the U.S.N.S. General R.M. Blatchford prior to immigrating to the United States in 1951. He was a member of the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States of America. He became a naturalized American citizen. Dr. Beke lived in Jersey City until he moved to North Plainfield in 1964. He interned at St. Francis Medical Center and completed his surgical residency at Jersey City Medical Center. He completed his psychiatric training in hospitalsthe greater Jersey City area and at Lyons VA Medical Center. He retired from Lyons as Assistant Chief of Psychiatry in 1986, after serving 23 years there. After retirement, he volunteered more than 10,000 hours at Lyons, as a quality assurance consultant, performing pastoral care and teaching psychiatry to Physician Assistant students. Dr. Beke had been active in the Boy Scouts for 76 years, since his childhood in Hungary, where he earned the rank of Eagle Scout. He met Lord Bayden Powell at the 3rd World Jamboree in Goedelloe, Hungary. He continued as a scout leader with Troops 19 and 17 in North Plainfield, and belonged to Flint and Steel. He completed his Wood Badge training; was awarded the Silver Beaver; and received the St. George Emblem, the highest Catholic scouting award. He was a communicant of St. Joseph's R.C. Church in North Plainfield where he volunteered as an usher, bingo worker, and Eucharistic Minister; president of the St. Joseph Elementary Parent-Teacher Association; chairman of the Holy Name Society; and served as physician to St. Josephs School. He was a 4th Degree Knight of Columbus, Council 552, in Watchung. He served as a Eucharistic Minister at Lyons VA Hospital as well. Dr. Beke had a strong devotion to the Blessed Mother and said the Rosary daily with his wife. He loved spending summers at his cottage in Canada, where he chatted in his native tongue with his brother, relativesand other displaced Hungarians. He was an avid woodworker and carved many newel posts with Hungarian designs for the cottage and his North Plainfield home. He treated his friends the birds with special care, feeding them throughout the long winters. Dr. Beke taught not only his own children and grandchildren about nature, but shared his extensive knowledge withhundreds ofBoy Scouts. He loved visiting Great Swamp Wildlife Preserve and the Raptor Center with his grandchildren,pointing out every variety of tree and wildflower. He and Margaret spent many happy afternoons walkingthrough the WatchungReservation and enjoyingthe flowers and rabbits. He would relocate the pesky squirrels that stole the pears from his backyard tree. "Opa"always had a joke to share, a crossword puzzle to cipher, a pocketful of pens -- andlollipops for his grandchildren. Dr. Beke married Dr. Margaret Rheinweiler of Kirchheim unter Teck, West Germany, in 1957, in St. Edens Church, Jersey City. They renewed their wedding vows with the celebration of their 51st wedding anniversary on January 25th, 2008. In addition to his wife, he is survived by five children: Monica Wozniak and her husband, Ronald, of Hillsborough; Peter and his wife, Mary, of Cherry Valley, Ill.; Michael and his wife, Cathleen, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and Thomas and his wife, Lubka, of Mountainside; and Dorothy of Boston, Mass; a brother, Stephen Beke of Toronto, Canada; a sister, Magdolna Beke of Budapest; and six grandchildren: Emily, Christopher, Matthew, Maria, Victoria and Alexander. He was predeceased by a sister, Klara Beke Mongyi, of Budapest. A Mass of Resurrection will be held at 10:00 am on Friday February 8th, 2008 at St. Joseph's R.C. Church, 41 Manning Ave. North Plainfield. Interment follows at St. Mary's Stony Hill Cemetery, Watchung. Visitation will be at Higgins Home for Funerals, 752 Mountain Blvd. Watchung NJ on Thursday from 4 to 7 p.m. Donations: Church of St. Joseph, North Plainfield, or the Consolata Missionaries, 2301 St. Highway 27, PO Box 5550, Somerset 08875. Please visit www.higginsfuneralhome.com