Magda Birdsey

Magda Birdsey, 85, of Ocala, FL, passed away on Monday, January 3, 2016 at Munroe Regional Hospital.
Magda was born in Hungary in 1930. She and her first husband, Gyula Oroszváry, escaped from Hungary during the Communist Revolution by walking to Austria. They then immigrated to the United States and became American citizens. Magda was a loving and devoted mother to her stepson, Julius Oroszváry, and later a wonderful grandmother to his six children. After the death of her first husband, Magda met George Birdsey at a support group for people whose spouses had died of cancer, and they married a year later. Throughout her life, Magda was a kind, brave, and generous person who contributed tirelessly to her friends, family, and community.

Magda was active and independent until the end of her life. As a wife and mother, she was an incredible household manager–running the finances, house, yard, and kitchen–with an exceptional talent at both cooking and sewing. She was a consummate hostess. While living in New Brunswick, her house became the local center of Hungarian culture. But Magda didn’t just throw (exquisitely) fancy dinner parties. She loved welcoming family and friends into her home; even on Mother’s Day, rather than go out to a restaurant, she preferred her loved ones to join her for a dinner that she cooked herself. She was always self-reliant; when her first husband died, she supported her family with her own sewing business. When she was more financially secure later in life, she dedicated her talents towards charity sewing with her characteristic energy; if her charity was helping a village with 54 girls in it, she would personally sew 54 dresses.

As her grandchildren, we feel incredibly lucky to have had Memi as our grandmother. We all have cherished memories of summers spent with Memi and Da in Ocala. Her love for us was limitless; we were six unruly grandchildren, and she sincerely wanted us to visit as often and as long as possible. Even when we weren’t visiting her, she had a strong influence on the family. She was fully supportive of us and our ambitions and dreams, no matter how off-the-wall they (or we) might be. She was greatly loved and appreciated in her life, and she will be sorely missed.

Visitation will be at 10-11 AM on Friday, January 8, 2016 at Grace Presbyterian Church, 2255 SE 38th Street, Ocala, 34480.  Services will begin at 11:00 AM.  Interment will follow at 2:00 PM at Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell with her husband, George.