Bakos, Anna
Passed away peacefully on Thursday, May 13, 2021 at Grand River Hospital, six weeks after her 89th birthday. Beloved mother of Anicka Bakos and Catherine Bakos (Jerome). Cherished grandmother of five grandchildren Melanie, Elena, Tomas, Magdalena and Paulina. She was predeceased by her husband Gustav, an astronomer and former professor at the University of Waterloo. Also predeceased by her parents, Valentin Magdolen and Maria Bezakova, her brother Valentin Magdolen Jr. and her sister Elena Petrekova (née Magdolenova) in Slovakia.
Anna was born April 1, 1932 in Nitra, Slovakia (formerly Czecho-Slovakia). She loved to travel and left her native country at the age of 20. Anna lived for a time in Poland, in Belgium, in France and in Libya before marrying Gustav and coming to live in the United States. After spending a few years in Evanston, Illinois, Anna and her family moved to Waterloo in 1965. After she moved to Canada, Anna continued to travel to Slovakia on a regular basis to visit with family and friends. Her last trip was in the fall of 2019 at 87 years of age.
Anna was a devout Catholic and a long-time member of St. Michael's in Waterloo. She almost never missed a Sunday Mass and could often be spotted in the back pew praying. She was a firm believer in the sacrament of marriage and was a faithful wife to Gustav throughout their 29 years together.
Anna was proficient in four languages – Slovak, Polish, French and English. She studied mathematics at Sorbonne University in Paris and later completed a Masters degree in mathematics at the University of Waterloo. She also attended Teacher's College and was able to obtain a high school teaching certificate. She was financially astute and quite the savvy investor.
Anna loved to garden and spring was her most favourite season. She immensely enjoyed seeing trees and flowers in full bloom and always grew a vegetable garden each and every year.
Anna was really in a class of her own. She was quite active until the very end, driving and running errands almost on a daily basis. In the final year of her life, one of Anna's high points was purchasing a brand new sports car for her 88th birthday. Anna enjoyed driving around in her bright red Honda Civic and some of her favourite haunts were Vincenzo's, Euro Food, and the Zehrs store at Glenridge in Waterloo, where she could often be spotted shopping for food and looking for weekly specials and enticing bargains.
Anna will be remembered by many as a remarkable woman and she will be greatly missed by those who knew her. A private Funeral Mass was held on Monday, May 17, 2021 at 1 p.m. at St. Michael's, 80 University Ave West, Waterloo. Interment at Parkview Cemetery. Arrangements entrusted to the Henry Walser Funeral Home, 519-749-8467. As expressions of sympathy, donations to St. Michael's Catholic Church would be appreciated by the family (cards available at the funeral home).
Visit www.henrywalser.com for Anna's memorial.