On March 7, 1928, William and Gizella Molnar welcomed their newborn daughter Margaret to the world at St. John’s Hospital in Queens, New York. They took her a few blocks home to 18709 Central Avenue, a unique household that incorporated the native languages and traditions of both Germany and Hungary.
Even as the Great Depression bore down, Margaret and her brother William experienced a peaceful childhood. The talents of their father – then a chef at Luchow’s famous steak house – insulated them from much of the financial hardship experienced throughout the country.
Events changed quickly when Gizella and Margaret set sail for a visit to Gizella’s family in Debrecen, Hungary. Their trip was abruptly interrupted when Germany invaded Poland, leading to World War II and the closure of all shipping lanes home. Margaret – now a teenager – was stuck in a rural Debrecen in Eastern Hungary. Not knowing the language, Margaret was placed in the 3rd grade and started her new life in Hungary.
On March 19, 1944 German troops occupied Debrecen and began the systematic genocide of its Jewish residents. The soldiers first concentrated Jews in the ghettos, but later sent them directly to Auschwitz-Birkenau to be killed. Margaret later recounted stories of soldiers coming to school, calling out names, and removing children from the classrooms. Margaret’s background was challenged, but she was fortunate to avoid the camps due to the help of the US Embassy and an uncommonly sympathetic German officer. Her father continued to send money and communications via the US Embassy. (The receipts can be seen in the albums preserved by Margaret).
Margaret was eventually able to return to America, where she went on to work for Chicago Pneumatic, a manufacturer of air tools and compressors. Her office was on the 68th floor of the Empire State Building in Manhattan. (She also briefly worked as a clothing model!)
Soon after, she was introduced to Stephen Molnar, a patient recovering from surgery after his service as a cadet in the Army Air Corp as a B-17 navigator. Gizella was thrilled. She had always dreamed of her daughter marrying a Hungarian man. She got her wish.
From that point forward, Margaret’s life was transformed by the joy she received from being the mother of five children. She was a wonderful mother; her children recall her as always loving, poised, and graceful. We can imagine that raising children through the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s presented some interesting challenges. Margaret and Stephen did the very best they could and sacrificed tremendously by agreeing to send each child to private Catholic school. At the time, Catholic school was both a costly endeavor and a socially unpopular choice. But they knew their values and dreams and stuck to them. Their decision paid off. Their faith and commitment to education have served their children well, and live on in the values and lives of their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
The “Golden Years” began with a relocation to Palm Harbor, Florida. Acting like a pair of newlyweds, they were able to enjoy the fruits of their labor. Margaret and Stephen loved to take long trips, including to New York, St Anne’s shrine in Canada, and Dallas, Texas. They were truly an adventurous pair, and relished eight joyous years before Stephen’s passing.
Longing to be near family, Margaret relocated back to New York and assumed the role of Grandma and Great Grandma. She currently resides in a retirement home in New Jersey, where she continues to brighten the day of everyone she encounters.