Dr. Sandor Apathy, 96, of Davenport, passed away peacefully early Monday morning, May 27, 2013, at Senior Star Independent Living, Davenport, IA after a brief struggle with renal cell carcinoma. Eva, his beloved wife of 68 years, was by his side. Honoring Dr. Apathy’s wishes the rite of cremation has been accorded, and a Memorial Mass of Christian Burial will be 2:00 p.m., Saturday June 8, 2013 at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Bradford, Illinois. Inurnment will be in St. John the Baptist Catholic Cemetery, Bradford, IL
Sandor Apathy was born May 19, 1917, in Dicsoszentmarton, Transylvania, Hungary, the third child of Zoltan and Julianna Kovacsy Apathy. Sandor attended Kolozsvar University in Romania and later Budapest University in Hungary. Following his graduation from medical school he served as a physician in both the Hungarian and Romanian Royal Armies.
Dr. Apathy married Eva Judith Rozsnyavszky on November 8, 1944 in Nagysurany, Hungary. They lived in Eichstatt Bavaria, Germany for 6 years, where their eldest daughter Eva was born. The Apathy family immigrated to the US on March 26, 1951 to New York City on the (USS) “General S.D. Sturgis”, and lived in Lansdowne, PA where Sandor worked as a resident physician in order to learn the English language to take his Medical Board examinations in English. Their eldest son, Alexander Andrew “Andy”, was born in Upper Darby, PA. In August of 1953 the Apathy family moved to Bradford, IL, where Sandor maintained a private family practice until 1986. Dr. and Eva and their daughter received US citizenship on November 13, 1956.
Those remaining to honor his memory include his wife, Eva; sons Alexander Andrew “Andy” (Donna Calvert), Leawood, KS; and Peter (Carole Knuth), Sitka, AK; daughters Eva Buboltz (Goodyear, AZ); and Judy (Jeff) Hyland, Davenport; grandchildren Sandra “Sandy” Buboltz, Westmont, IL; Chris (Christine) Buboltz, Goodyear, AZ; Jason (Claire) Hyland, Chicago, IL; Jonathan Hyland, Milwaukee, WI, Nathan Apathy, Kansas City, KS; Erika and Ryan Apathy, Sitka, AK; 3 great-grandchildren, 3 nieces, 3 nephews, and countless former patients and colleagues.
Sandor was a long-time member of Leet Memorial Methodist Church, Bradford, IL. He was an incessant reader and became a familiar figure at the Dunlap, IL library. He loved to do the daily crossword puzzles and cryptoquotes, and was an avid White Sox fan. He also enjoyed golf, canasta and Scrabble. In earlier years he played the flute and also played soccer. During his years in private practice Dr. Apathy traveled daily for rounds at both Kewanee Public and St. Francis Hospitals and then saw patients in the office attached to their home. He was a past member of the Bradford Lions Club, the Illinois Medical Society, and the American Medical Society. Sandor had a sharp mind and a dry sense of humor, and he devoted his life to tending to his patients and providing for his family. He was an outstanding diagnostician and a caring physician, husband, father, grandfather, and friend, and maintained the highest standards of integrity.
Sandor was preceded in death by both his parents and by his siblings Zoltan Apathy II, Juliana Apathy-Horvath, and Istvan Apathy. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Bradford Rescue Squad, The Lion’s Club, or to Genesis Hospice.
The family would like to extend a special thank you to the staff and residents of Senior Star for their kindness to Sandor and Eva, to the entire Genesis Hospice team and to Dr. Joshua Carpenter for their excellent medical care, and to caregivers Moira DePasquale, Michelle Stolte, and Denise Hicks for their capable and compassionate assistance.
Online remembrances and condolences may be expressed to the family by visiting Dr. Apathy’s obituary at www.hmdfuneralhome.com.
