Michael G. Vadasz

Michael G. Vadasz, an engineer by education and entrepreneur by profession, and resident of Kennett, PA, died unexpectedly on November 24, 2025 at the age of 80 at Chester County Hospital surrounded by his family.
Michael is survived by his wife of 56 years Lisa Vadasz (née Brunovszky); his children, Lisa Vadasz Thompson and Michael Vadasz; his son-in-law, Matthew Thompson; his daughter-in-law, Erica Vadasz (née Trave); and his grandchildren, Lily Thompson, Mackey Thompson, Eliza Vadasz, and August Vadasz. He is predeceased by his brother, István Vadasz; and his granddaughter, Vivian Vadasz.
Michael was born in Gyór, Hungary, where he grew up, on March 23, 1945 to István Vadasz and Franciska Zimmerman. An avid swimmer in the pools and rivers near his hometown as a child, Michael soon became a talented competitive swimmer narrowly missing the 1964 Summer Olympics before switching his focus to water polo. It was during one of these water polo matches where Michael befriended an Austrian player (after some rough defense/offense) named Josef Lentsch. Michael spent as much time as he could with Josef and his family in Austria and soon became a part of their family and friends. This friendship would help to change the course of Michael's life in the ensuing years.
In the summer of 1967, a young Lisa Brunovszky, whose family left Hungary during the revolution against the Soviets in 1956 when she was just 11 years old, returned to her familial home to visit the extended family she had not seen in over 10 years. It was during this visit that she ran into Michael again and the sparks flew. Unfortunately, the communist grip on Hungary was in full force and there was no way for him to leave to be with Lisa in the Philadelphia area – unless he escaped from his home country and left the life he knew. Josef's father was a prominent figure in the local Austrian government and while he said he couldn't be involved in the planning or assistance of his escape, if he got to Austria safely, he could help with asylum. Josef enlisted his friend Walter Ertl to help Michael plan and execute his defection. Michael left his home country on July 1st 1968 with nothing more than a swimsuit under the cover of darkness swimming across the Mura River bordering the former Yugoslavia and Austria (where they knew there were no shoot-to-kill orders) and embarked on his journey to freedom – and to his true love.
Once in Philadelphia, Michael and Lisa married on February 9th 1969 and settled in Woodlyn, PA. Having graduated in Hungary with a degree in chemical engineering, Michael soon found work at FMC Corporation and began his life as an American citizen. Meanwhile, Lisa and her father, Otto, were building a business in Eddystone as a reputable foreign car service shop that soon became the first authorized BMW sales and service facility in the area. Michael spent all his free time at the shop helping out and when their daughter was born, and Lisa was at home with the baby, Otto asked Michael if he could help full-time at the dealership on a temporary basis. That "Temporary Assignment", as Michael liked to call it, lasted 52 years. Together, Michael and Lisa built Otto's Imported Cars into a sprawling BMW dealership that eventually moved from Eddystone to West Chester, PA where it remained until they sold the business in 2023. He loved the business and the opportunities it provided not only for his own family but also for the families of the 130 people that were employed by him. Before he left Austria back in 1968, he asked Josef's father what he could do to repay the kindness and help he was given. The patriarch, somewhat miffed, responded, "I don't need to be repaid anything. What you need to do is now help others who can't help themselves." Michael lived that mantra until his final days – not only with the employees he considered family, but the many charities and organizations that Otto's BMW supported over the years.
In his free time, Michael loved nothing more than spending time with family in their second home on Maryland's Eastern Shore. It filled him with immense pride to look out on the water from the dock of their home and marvel over where he came from, and where he was able to go.
A private memorial will be held by the family at a later date.