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Laszlo Antal \"Les\" Cseke, 84, of Stafford County, passed away Tuesday, March 27, 2012 at his residence.
Les was a member of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, and a passionate member of the Fredericksburg Council 4034 Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal community-service and charitable organization. He was a Fourth Degree Knight, and proud of his work there as well as the organization's mission. The Fourth Degree is the highest degree of the order, and is an extension of the third degree. Members of this degree are addressed as \"Sir Knight.\" The primary purpose of the Fourth Degree is to foster the spirit of patriotism and to encourage active Catholic citizenship. On his 80th birthday he was recognized for his many years of support to the organization during the celebration of Religious Freedom held annually in Fredericksburg.
A native of Hungary, Les immigrated to the United States from Austria in 1957, under a program sponsored by the daughter of the great Russian writer Leo Tolstoy. But his story before that reads like a novel itself. By the end of World War II, in 1945, at age 17, Les was taken from his hometown of Baja, Hungary, and forced into a Russian labor camp in Kazakhstan, where he would spend 8 1/2 very tough years. After being released following the death of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, Les escaped from Hungary on his third attempt and made his way to Austria, taking advantage of the Tolstoy program for refugees.
1n 1957 Les moved to Orange, N.J., and soon courted the former Eva Monori, a beautiful young lady he knew from Hungary. They married in 1959 and remained in New Jersey for 13 years, where he worked in electronics. Les moved to Fredericksburg in 1970, when he opened a Hungarian restaurant, The Palms, with his wife and mother-in-law. Les and Eva also went on to run two other very popular local eateries -- an ice cream store for 19 years and Les' Pizza, at the Park and Shop Center, for 12 years. Les' pizza operation was immensely popular with college and high school students, and featured bands and other entertainment in addition to his signature spicy food.
Les retired from the restaurant business and worked part-time jobs around the area to remain active, and focused intently on his church and community service activities. He was an active gardener with his prized roses, and he tried to love the Redskins, whom he always called the \"Deadskins,\" with a wink.
Survivors include his wife of 53 years, Eva Cseke; daughters Eva Cseke Hodson, of Vienna and Leslie Cseke Robertson, of Falls Church; and his granddaughters, Jessica Blair Swersey and Morgan Grace Swersey.
The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 29, at Covenant Funeral Service, Fredericksburg with a Rosary at 7:30 p.m., immediately followed by Fourth Degree Regalia and Chalice Ceremony.
A funeral will be held at 11a.m. Friday, March 30 at St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Fredericksburg. Reception to follow in the St. Mary Family Life Center.
In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations be made in Laszlo's name to the St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church's Living Stones Program, 1009 Stafford Avenue Fredericksburg, VA 22401.
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