Bali – Mihaly (Mike) Gyorgy Bali of Brooks Alberta passed away peacefully at his home in Brooks on Saturday, October 17th, 2020 at the age of 83 years. Mike was born on February 7th, 1937 in Szegvar Hungary, one of fourteen children to Istvan Bali and Lacko Maria Margit. Mike would reminisce about his childhood when the Germans invaded Hungary to being forced to work in the coal mines at the age of 14 under the Russian rule. At the age of 17, he made his way to Austria and after 2 years he became a landed immigrant on January 8th, 1957 in Halifax Nova Scotia. He made his way to Calgary, Alberta, where he worked at the Petroleum Club as a cook and then a delivery driver for the Crescent Bakery. Mike fell in love and married Janet Margaret Sandau on April 7th, 1967 at the Mount Calvary Lutheran Church and moved with the family to Scandia in 1973. He worked in the Scandia General Store and then on the Sandau Dairy Farm. He became a Canadian Citizen on March 16th, 1983. In 1989, Mike started working at Lakeside Packers on the cleanup crew and then eventually moving to the knife room. He loved working at Lakeside being able to talk to all the people that came in to get their knives sharpened. He decided to retire in 2011 at the age of 72 years, after working 22 years at Lakeside. Our Dad/Grandpa was hardworking, strong, loving and gentle. He was a storyteller and jokester and loved playing crib and cards and making sausage with his grandsons. He loved fishing (each time he told a fish story the fish got bigger and bigger). Cooking was his passion and loved cooking for his family from his Hungarian dishes to wild meat. His greatest love was his children and grandchildren. He enjoyed the time he spent with them cooking his Hungarian dishes and playing games and talking about his wife. Mike is predeceased by his wife Janet in 2004, his father and mother and many brothers and sisters. He is survived by his daughter Karen (Jamie), son Steven (Brenda), Ilona (Brad) and his grandchildren Breanne (Reese), Broden, Jordan (Carla), Nicole, Landon and Tristan. We will cherish all the memories of both of our parents who are together again. A Family service was held on Saturday, October 24th at 2:00 PM from Smith Memorial Chapel. Interment was held at Hillside Cemetery, Medicine Hat on Monday, October 26th at 2:00 PM. In memory of our Dad/Grandpa donations can be made directly to Senior’s Outreach, Box 712, Brooks, Alberta T1R 1B6.
Funeral arrangements entrusted to:
SMITH FUNERAL HOME LTD. AND CREMATORIUM
BROOKS, ALBERTA
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