Peter GABOR

PETER GABOR Peter Andrew Gabor died peacefully on July 2, 2020. An incurable optimist, he never met a glass he couldn't convince himself was half full. After escaping Communist Hungary, he arrived in England in 1956 at the age of six, and on his first day of school, he began teaching Hungarian to his classmates. This same optimism fueled his courtship of his future wife a decade later in Montreal, and their subsequent relocation down the 401 to Toronto a few years after that. Peter's hopeful attitude was a life raft for him in his later years and he remained a believer in best case scenarios right up to the end. His resilience, determination and spirit in the face of the inevitable were a marvel to behold. Peter will be remembered for the often mischievous twinkle in his eye, his elaborate brunches and his unwavering loyalty to Birkenstocks through decades of evolving fashion trends. He was a man who remembered vacations by meals eaten rather than sites visited; he could describe the taste of a schnitzel he ate in 1955 as vividly as if he had eaten it yesterday. He recognized his calling as an architect before he finished high school and stuck with his practice for nearly five decades. Similarly, he recognized his soulmate, Andi, just a year into university and they stuck together for nearly as long, until Andi's passing in 2015. Together, Peter and Andi gathered and sustained a loyal, supportive and often hilarious community around them and invested their hearts, minds, time and energy into their well being and entertainment. They did the same thing only more so in raising their family, with Peter delighting in his role as camp counselor and all-around riler upper. His big heart, sincerity, and goodness shone brightly wherever he went. Peter was predeceased by his wife, Andi; his mother, Agnes; his father, Andrew; and his sister, Kathy. He will be missed by his children, Brian (Naomi) and Stephanie (Chris); his grandchildren, Olivia, Luca, Noah, and Chloe; his nieces, Rachelle and Julia, and countless close friends. Thank you to Fanos, the rest of the caregiving team, and his friends who rallied around him in his last challenging years. Donations may be made to the ALS Society of Canada.