Obituary of George L. Szilagyi

George L. Szilagyi, age 65, of Bridgeport, beloved husband of Maryhelen Cassidy Szilagyi, passed away peacefully in his home on Wednesday, December 26, 2018.

Born and raised in Bridgeport, son of the late Anton and Helen Ruvarc Szilagyi, George was a lifelong city resident. He graduated from Sacred Heart University " Class of 1975 " with a Bachelor of History Degree. While there he was very active in the Sigma Tau Omega Fraternity, he was the editor of the Obelisk Newspaper and belonged to the Sacred Heart Center Lounge Committee and the Student Coffee House. Of all the jobs he held, Lifetouch was by far his favorite. The Lifetouch crew became his second family. He was a truly talented photographer and his favorite subjects were children, animals & flowers. He loved shooting in black and white and could turn a plain picture into a work of art. His joy when he was photographing the children at the schools was evident in every picture he took. The children loved it when he came to photograph them because he had a famous "hat trick" and "funny faces" which had them all amazed and brought a smile every time.

His passions were his cameras, his guitars, all things Civil War and, especially Gettysburg, and the Pittsburgh Steelers! Never far from him, he could spend hours playing his guitar. He had a great crew of what he called "my guitar buddies" and would look forward to seeing them whenever he was able to get to the yearly Naz Fest in Bethlehem, PA or for a get-together at one of their homes. His love of Gettysburg is shared by his best friend, Jeff. The two could get lost on the battlefields for hours, if not days. He never tired of reading, watching or discussing anything about Gettysburg, or the Civil War.

In addition to Maryhelen, his loving wife of 42 years, George is survived by his son David Szilagyi and his fiancee Dana Mailhot, his grandson  DJ Szilagyi and his girlfriend Riccarda Dore, all of Bridgeport; his sister-in-law Nancy Szilagyi of Trumbull; his brother-in-law Walter Cassidy of Westport and brother-in-law Ed Cassidy and his wife Laura of Maryland; his niece Amy Rodriquez, her husband Ricky, and their children Carly, Sam and Helen, all of Trumbull; his nephews Stephen Szilagyi of Fairfield, Anthony Szilagyi, his wife Andrea, and their children Wesley and Olivia, all of Branford. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his brother, the Reverend Anthony Szilagyi.  He was a kind and gentle soul who loved his family unconditionally.

Calling hours will be held on Sunday, December 30th, from 3-7 pm in the Lesko & Polke Funeral Home 1209 Post Road, in Fairfield Center. Funeral services will take place on Monday at 11 AM in the funeral home with his interment to follow in Mountain Grove Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research (www.Lustgarten.org). For travel directions or to sign his online guest register, please visit www.LeskoPolkeFuneralHome.com.