Gizella Elizabeth Papellas Juhasz

Gizella Elizabeth Juhasz, left us quietly on the morning of January 20th at the age of 96. It is difficult to imagine that this quiet woman, with great inner strength and determination was able to carry on almost two full years after the death of her husband of over 70 years. Her strength and endurance are some of the characteristics of her life, of her legacy.
Gizella was born in Gary, Indiana on October 5th, 1923, and was a daughter to Hungarian immigrants. She met her future husband, my Dad, in the Evangelical Protestant church where their families and other Hungarian families were very active. Their marriage was a remarkable testament of loyalty, commitment and dedication. They married on July 14th, 1947 and remained committed to each other until Carl’s death in 2018.
Gizella was an amazing display of dedication and consistency. She always, always welcomed you with a smile. If her life was less than ideal at any point, you would be hard pressed to ever know about it. She had a pleasant demeanor, welcoming word, kind smile and an easy-going presence. Even as her body and mind slowly failed, she never changed her kind nature. She would ask about your day, about your work and about your life, as if hers was of less relevance, less importance. You could never hear her complain, you could never hear her feel sorry for herself. She took whatever was handed to her with dignity, acceptance and ease. Her strength was imperceptible. But it took an extraordinarily strong person to be able to take things in stride, to make the best of every situation and to always choose to be happy.
In her younger days she was active in her bowling league. On summer afternoons she would take me to the bowling alley and I would spend a few hours trying to keep up with her. She and my dad loved entertaining. They enjoyed dressing up, throwing parties, mixing gimlets, and socializing. My mom was a social butterfly and people were drawn to her warmth and to her open smile. She enjoyed connecting with people and making friends.
Although she had a career before marrying my dad, once she became a mom, she dedicated her time and energy to making our home the perfect home. She found fulfillment in organizing, cleaning and maintaining order. She cooked amazing Hungarian dishes and she always made sure her children were well taken care of. Her ambitions were simple, but her actions were always loving, warm and caring.
She was a great seamstress and she found a hobby in collecting fine crystal figurines which she displayed proudly in the foyer of the home she and my dad shared for many, many years.
I know that in today’s world people are remembered by the remarkable actions they took, successful careers they lived, or incredible accomplishments they achieved. I can’t say that my mom was an example of any of them.  But she taught me how to appreciate harmony. She knew that happiness is found in small things. She lived quietly, she loved loyally, she was an example of stability, security and dedication. In the world where we are always chasing bigger, better, shinier and “more impressive” feats, I am grateful I had an example of how to live a down to earth life. How to truly be grateful. How to stop and smell the roses.  She lived to be 96, most of those years independently and proudly. She was never, ever a burden. I know that the lessons she taught me by her example are deeply embedded inside my soul. I am forever grateful for having had such a wonderful role model of love and gratitude.
I will always love you and miss you Mom!
Bob
Gizella is survived by her sons Bob and Jim, grandchildren Corbin and Lauren, great grandchildren Berkley, Milo and Elavee.
Funeral services will be held on January 31st at 1:00pm at the Memorial Holladay-Cottonwood Mortuary in Holladay. The family is choosing to keep the services confined to family and close friends only. Please feel free to share your thoughts and condolences on this page if you wish. Your understanding and support are appreciated.
Service Information

Funeral Service
January 31, 2020 at 1:00 PM
Memorial Holladay~Cottonwood Mortuary, 4670 South Highland Drive, Holladay,Utah 84117