Hugo Molnar

1928 - 2010

Hugo Molnar, 82, of Cathedral City, Calif. passed away at Eisenhower Medical Center on Saturday, November 20, 2010. He was born in Sopron, Hungary on November 8, 1928 to Aladar Molnar and Ilona (Olah) Molnar. He married Liv Torgersen in Palm Springs on February 17, 1979. He got his education as a Mechanical Engineer and lived and worked in Budapest until he became one of thousands of Hungarians who in 1956 fled across the border to Austria from the Russian troops that attacked his country. After making his way to Chicago, he lived and worked there for two years, but the cold winters were not for him, so together with a Hungarian buddy, he headed for Southern California. He settled in Los Angeles, and in 1966 he went back to Europe and helped his brother and family escape and brought them to Los Angeles. He lived in Tahiti for two years while working for Club Med. He had a lifelong interest in the South Pacific, the people and their music, and collected many books about their history. He also loved Hawaii, especially The Big Island, Hilo Town was often visited through the years. He moved to Palm Springs in 1970 and worked for Bird Products Corp., developing medical respirators for over 20 years. He very much enjoyed hiking in the local mountains, also nature photography, and did a lot of traveling, both in the U.S. and in Europe with his wife. Huge was a long-time member of The Classic Jaguar Association. He owned and restored "ground-up" many classic cars, both Jaguars and Mercedes, and enjoyed a close friendship to the end with the other members, who will dearly miss his knowledge and talents, and his fun-loving ways. Hugo was preceded in death by his parents; and his brother, Al. He is survived by his wife, Liv of Cathedral City; his sister-in-law, Edit of Cottonwood, Ariz.; his cousin, George in Hungary; and his niece, Edie (Jim) Read of Mission Hills, Calif. Rest in peace, dear Hugo. There will be no services.
To view and sign this guestbook, please visit: mydesert.com/obituaries