Laszlo A. Cseke

Laszlo A. Cseke

Laszlo Antal "Les" Cseke, 84, of Stafford County passed away Tuesday, March 27, 2012, at his residence.

Les was a member of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, and a passionate member of Fredericksburg Council 4034 Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal community service and charitable organization. He was a Fourth Degree Knight, and proud of his work there. The primary purpose of the Fourth Degree is to foster the spirit of patriotism and to encourage active Catholic citizenship.

A native of Hungary, Les immigrated to the United States from Austria in 1957, under a program sponsored by the daughter of the great Russian writer Leo Tolstoy. His story reads like a novel. In 1945, at the end of World War II, Les, 17, was taken from his hometown of Baja, Hungary, and forced into a Russian labor camp in Kazakhstan, where he would spend 8 years. After being released following the death of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, Les escaped from Hungary on his third attempt and made his way to Austria, taking advantage of the Tolstoy program.

In 1957 Les moved to Orange, N.J., and in 1959 married the former Eva Monori, a beautiful young lady he knew from Hungary. They remained in New Jersey for 13 years, where he worked in electronics.

Les moved to Fredericksburg in 1970, when he opened a Hungarian restaurant, The Palms, with his wife and mother-in-law. Les and Eva later ran two other very popular local eateries, an ice cream store for 19 years and Les' Pizza, at the Park and Shop Center, for 12 years. Les' Pizza was immensely popular with college and high school students, and featured bands and other entertainment in addition to his signature spicy food.

Les retired from the restaurant business but remained active in the area, focused intently on his church and community service activities. He was an avid gardener of his prized roses, and he tried to love the Redskins, whom he always called the "Deadskins" with a wink.

He is survived by Eva Cseke, his wife of 53 years; his daughters, Eva Cseke Hodson of Vienna and Leslie Cseke Robertson of Falls Church; and his granddaughters, Jessica Blair Swersey and Morgan Grace Swersey.

The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 29, at Covenant Funeral Service, Fredericksburg, with a Rosary at 7:30 p.m., immediately followed by a Fourth Degree Regalia and Chalice Ceremony.

A funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, March 30, at St. Mary Catholic Church in Fredericksburg. A reception will follow in the St. Mary Family Life Center.

In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations be made in Laszlo's name to St. Mary Catholic Church's Living Stones Program.

Online guest book is at covenantfuneralservice.com.