Josef BELES

1932 - 2024 Josef Beles, of La Canada Flintridge, California, passed away on February 8, 2024.
He is survived by his wife Judith; daughters Karen (Michael) Rohan, Audrey (Shaun) Grady, Jenifer Beles; grandchildren Katelyn (Brendan) Powell, Garrett (Kalyn) Rohan, Jay Beles Kolina, Margaret Rose Kolina; and great grandchildren Landon and Lyla Powell, and Georgia Rohan.
Josef, known as Joe or Pepa, was born in 1932 in the small village of Mosty, Czechoslovakia. The son of Josef and Helen Beles, he was part of a tight knit family that included his younger sister Helen and many aunts and uncles.
In 1938 Nazi Germany annexed his homeland. At the end of World War Two, the Soviet Union took control of Czechoslovakia and Joe's family lived under its oppressive rule.
In 1952 Joe's favorite uncle, Rudy Beles, was part of the Czech military. Rudy was forced to flee Czechoslovakia after the government discovered he was part of a plot to overthrow the communist regime. Once his uncle escaped, the authorities came after the men in the Beles family. Joe, a student at the University in Brno, and only 19 years old, had to make the immediate decision to escape as well. He ended up in Austria in a refugee camp run by the Americans, an experience that affected him profoundly. He spoke about it often with his children and grandchildren. It would be decades before he saw his family and homeland again.
Joe went on to study Economics at the University of Innsbruck. Joe and his uncle Rudy both applied and were granted visas to the United States and ended up in New York. Joe was conscripted into the US army and served in France. Upon his return he moved to San Francisco where he went to work as a Statistician at First Western Bank. Within three years he became a Senior Vice President.
But most importantly, in 1959, Joe met and fell in love with Judith George King. They married in 1960 and had three daughters: Karen, Audrey, and Jenifer.
In 1968 Joe joined Capital in Los Angeles, but didn't stay stateside long. The family of five moved to Geneva, Switzerland in 1969, where Joe became the Chief Administrative Officer for Capital International, S.A., the birthplace for Capital's expansion into international investing. In 1978 Joe brought his family back to Los Angeles. There he took on leadership of Capital Data Systems, the forerunner of Capital's giant global technology group. In addition to his role as President of Capital Data Services he continued as Chief Administrative Officer of Capital International, S.A. In 1991 he retired from Capital.
Joe had a deep and abiding love of life. As a refugee from a repressive regime, he profoundly understood the importance of the freedom he and his family enjoyed. He was extremely proud to be an American.
Perhaps most importantly, Joe loved traveling the world with Judy, his beloved bride of 63 years. Few people were as blessed as Joe and Judy in seeing the world and experiencing its people and cultures.
Joe had a huge heart. He adored his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, and they loved him.
To all of us fortunate enough to count Joe as family or friend, we all knew a man who was loyal, kind, funny, ethical, generous, adventuresome, humble, and most of all -curious.
He will be greatly missed but never forgotten.
A private family service was held on February 22. In lieu of flowers, donations in Josef Beles' honor can be made to the American Cancer Society and Habitat for Humanity.