Veres, Andrew

Andy was born on November 30, 1930, in the family home in Coalhurst, Alberta, to Hungarian immigrant parents, Sandor and Mary Veres. The family of eight children included Andy's four sisters, Esther, Barbara, Julia and Margaret, and three brothers, Joe, Bob and Dave.

Despite growing up as a child in the depression era 1930's, Andy had fond memories of his childhood, his family and friends, and never felt he experienced any real hardships. Hard work and self reliance were the qualities he acquired and which served him well throughout his life.

Andy married Jean Bannink in 1952 and after working in the coal mines at Shaughnessy and driving truck, moved to Calgary in 1956 to pursue his career as a firefighter, initially for the Department of Defense and later for the Calgary Fire Department. It was the perfect job for him as he was high energy, very fit and strong, had the right mentality and loved the camaraderie of the firehall. Andy and Jean raised a family of four children in Calgary - Ken, Judy, Randy and Betty Jean. Sadly, Jean passed away in 1982. In 1984, Andy met a lovely lady, Louise Borggard, at a dance club in Calgary and discovered they both came from Southern Alberta, and with this strong connection developed a lasting relationship and married in 1986. After their marriage, they purchased a home in Coalhurst.

Retirement from the Fire Department came in 1989. Andy and Louise embarked on a new phase in their lives, enjoying travels to Arizona, Texas and California in their trailer in the winter and followed rodeo events in the summer. They led an active social life with family and friends, especially weekly dances and cards.

Andy had a great interest and love of the Canadian West and its early history. As a young man he participated in some rodeo events and owned and trained horses. He was an avid gardener and fisherman, loved animals and enjoyed the antics of small children. Simply put, Andy was an outgoing, happy person, always willing to lend a helping hand. Andy's health declined over the past two years. He received much assistance from his nephew, Gerry Veres, and was well cared for at home by Louise, and it was only in late April that Andy moved to the Good Samaritan West Highland Centre where he passed away peacefully on May 3, 2020, at the age of 89 years.

Andy was predeceased by his parents, first wife Jean, daughter Judy, son-in-law Ross McArthur, sisters Esther Starkey and Margaret Sanders, and brothers Joe, Bob and Dave. He is survived by his sisters Barbara Rudan and Julia Welsh. He leaves many nieces and nephews in Canada and the United States. Andy will be lovingly remembered by his wife Louise, his sons Ken (Marilyn) and Randy, and daughter Betty Jean McArthur, as well as Louise's four sons, Kevin, Kerry (Patty), Rick (Beatrice) and Blair. He is survived by nine grandchildren - Roxanne (Nelson), Rachelle (Scott), Morgan (Lindsay), Julie, Gina, Kendra (Josh), Michael, Paul and Ben. He also leaves four greatgrandchildren, Charlize, Brielle, Nolan and Austin, whom he thought the world of.

The family wishes to thank Drs. Cunningham and Jamieson, Chelsea at Home Care, and the staff at West Highland for their support. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to STARS air ambulance or the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

Due to the current pandemic, a Service of Remembrance will be held at a later date.