Anna Csomor Zovek

1939 - 2025

Anna Csomor Zovek my mother was a true Rain Maker. She left alone for the Austrian border at the age of 17 during the Hungarian Student revolution in Nov of 1956. The Communists had been occupying Hungary since 1945 at the end of WWII. This was known as the Iron Curtain. Young college students revolted in Budapest with Molotov cocktails, sticks, stones, and stolen weapons. Unbelievably they had driven the Communist soldiers out of Hungary. Unfortunately, the Russians returned 1 week later (Sunday) with tanks, better weapons, and more soldiers. The family had lost everything they had worked for twice since 1941, first taken by the Germans and later by the Russian Communist after 1945. She wrote a letter to her mother and brother saying she was leaving. She began a 200 mile walk to the Austrian border. She was caught and detained in a Communist Russian boy's detention camp. She was so skinny, they mistaken her for a young boy. After releasing her due to a shortage of available food, she made her way thru dense forests to reach the Austrian border, then to Switzerland to freedom. Her younger brother was a teenage freedom fighter against the Russians and her father was tortured and imprisoned by the Russians, later to escape in the back of a garbage truck. To her amazement her family had left Hungary 3 months later than her and they were reunited in Switzerland. "We knew we wanted to come to America. My father had always talked about it". The Red Cross assisted them by ship to America with the help of the Catholic church. They landed in the US state of Indiana. Indiana is the approximate size of Hungary and had the same 4 seasons weather pattern of Hungary. The family all spoke 3 languages; her father spoke 7 languages but not English. He took a job at the Tokeim Gas Pump factory, her mother worked to clean the home of a doctor. Her brother later started a chain of beauty salons in Boston. Later came her little sister Piroska.

Anna received a scholarship at St Mary's university all while learning English. Anna had a passion to introduce Americans to the European Hungarian culture. She was married to my father and they opened their first international restaurant, the Gas Light Inn in Muncie Indiana. This was the beginning of a life of restaurants, a disco, catering, and other businesses including Real Estate. As a foreign woman she was constantly discriminated against, competing in a man's world. She always said "A woman can do as well or better than a man, in America". Not being born in America and speaking with an accent at that time also did not help. She never complained and failure was not an option. Her last restaurant was in Pflugerville Texas started with her sister Piroska. The European Bistro was located in a Historical building on what was a railroad stop in downtown. White wagon wheels hung from the entrance of the 2 story 1800's building. She painstakingly refurbished and filled it with European paintings, art, real concrete pieces of the Berlin wall, piano, pictures, flowers, classical music, and personal items collected from all over Europe. The food was authentic. She brought Piroska from Hungary as she was a professional trained confectionary, skilled in pastries, cakes, and deserts. My brother Leslie worked as a waiter in the evenings after his day job.

Anna is survived by her grandson Andras, myself, my brother Leslie, and Piroska. She was truly special and will be missed by all who met her. Her Zsazsa Gabor beauty, smile, and wonderful accent lured you in. As a mother she taught me about life, love, humor, hard work, loyalty, kindness, compassion, and God. He will have his hands full in heaven. Miss you unbelievably. Your loving family and friends.