Steve is survived by daughters: Chris (Neil) Donaway, Dawn (Shawn Whale) Danka, Ilona (Kevin) Theodore, and Karen (Chris McTighe) Varga; along with grandchildren: Jared, Crystal (Mark), Chase, and Cam; and great-granddaughter Piper.

Like so many others, Steve Varga fled from his home country of Hungary during the 1956 Revolution at age 17, to land in Canada with little more than the clothes on his back. Working several jobs, including hoeing sugar beets and working the railroad as he learned the language, he was taken on by the City of Lethbridge where he worked for 33 years as an electrician before his retirement.

Dad was an avid lover of all outdoor activities, and soon his many fishing and camping trips were shared with his beloved wife Margaret and his daughters. He could be always found out hunting, fishing, camping with family and friends, working in the vast yard tending his grapes, or tinkering in the garage or his shop. Winters were spent playing cards with friends, and in his later years the Sunday family game of 31 was the event he looked forward to all week; the wine and laughter around that table were pure delight for him, and he could always make us laugh, even when he had no idea how funny he was.

Dad’s talents lay in gardening, smoking meat, and making wine, the bounty all of which he shared graciously. He always enjoyed helping the Hungarian Cultural Society make sausage for their annual Grape Harvest Ball, and everyone loved his homemade smoked sausage and bacon. In his retirement years his garden became his pride and joy, and you never left his house in summer without an armful of vegetables. His generosity, sense of humour, and the smell of the smokehouse on his jacket will be truly missed.

Rest easy, Papa Bear.

A Celebration of Steve’s life will be held at CORNERSTONE FUNERAL HOME, 2825 – 32 Street South, Lethbridge, AB, on Saturday, September 21, 2024 at 11:00 A.M.