Joseph Edward Takacs was born on December 20, 1939, in Toledo, Ohio, the youngest of six children. Toledo had a large number of Hungarians living in an area where everyone was Hungarian. There were Hungarian stores, Hungarian churches, and even a Hungarian-language newspaper.

He was the son of Helen Sebök and John Takacs. Helen was born in Hungary in 1905 and became a naturalized US citizen in 1940. John was born in the US but both his parents were born in Hungary.

Joe grew up very aware and appreciative of his Hungarian roots. His grandmother, Marta Tasnadi, couldn’t even speak English, and in his neighborhood, you could get by with Hungarian.

In those days, there was a shortage of workers in agriculture and car factories in the US. Catholic priests would go back to recruit people in Hungary.

In the early 1900s, it was very difficult economically, especially among the lower classes in Hungary. A large number of people jumped at the chance to work in the US and improve their situation. Among them was my great-grandfather Janos Sebok who ended up being a farmworker in Ohio near Toledo.

Helen Sebok, married a fellow Hungarian, partly because Hungarians hung around other Hungarians and it was expected you’d marry a Hungarian.

Joe grew up very modestly, in a one-bedroom house for a large family. When asked about it, he said, “I was poor but I didn’t feel like I was. I didn’t need toys. I had food. I had the whole outside as my playground.”

He knew money was tight and thought about how to help. At age 12, he went on his own to ask for a job at the local gas station. That started the beginning of a solid working relationship with the owner. He worked there until he finished high school. Joe said that working kept him from getting into trouble.

When he finished high school, he met an army recruiter and was sold on the chance to see the world and get the GI bill to pay for studying at university. That began a long career in the military and the opportunity, over many years of hard work, to get his BS and MBA. He was the first one in his family to get a university degree.

He met Carmen Soto Vasquez when he was working in a military recruiting office at Bergstrom Air Force Base in Texas, near Austin. He saw a picture of her in the files he was working on, so he made sure he would be the one welcoming her to her new job as a nurse at the military hospital.

It was love at first sight for him and he did everything possible to be around her. He was attracted to her beautiful brown eyes and her vibrant Puerto Rican personality.

They married in Puerto Rico within a couple of years of that first meeting. Two children, Yolanda and John came along soon after. Eight years later Jimmy joined them as a pleasant surprise.

1975 was the year of Joe’s great adventure. He was offered a job with the Defense Department at the American Embassy and took the whole family to live in Lima, Peru. Carmen was able to get a job as the Embassy nurse. It was a perfect fit. Three years later, the family was transferred to Santiago, Chile, to do the same thing.

When asked about their time in South America, both Carmen and Joe said, “It was the best time of our lives.”

Joe retired from the military, and the family moved back to the US around 1984. It was a difficult time adjusting, but eventually, he found the perfect job with CACI. Joe was an expert in logistics. He could make friends with anyone and get whatever supply was needed in no time at all. He loved his job and only retired at the age of 70.

Carmen was getting tired of the winters in Virginia, so they moved to Orlando, Florida. The big motivator, though, was that three of Joe’s sisters already lived there.

Eventually, his son Jimmy moved to Florida, which was a huge blessing. Joe and Carmen were able to live on their own for almost 10 years. But Carmen had a few TIA’s and they decided to move to Tampa to be near Jimmy and his wife Erika. In 2020 Carmen died of a brain tumor.

Jimmy and Erika provided incredible support for Joe. They were always there for him when he needed them.

But Joe could not get over the loss of his beloved Carmen they had been married for 57 years.

On the morning of April 25th, he had an ischemic stroke. The doctors had been hopeful he would be able to make some recovery. He was at the rehab facility for two weeks when in the early hours of May 9th his body shut down and he passed away.

His was a life well lived. He took Jesus’ words seriously, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ Acts 20:35

He gave all he had to his children, his sisters, nieces and nephews, and people he loved while he was still living.

This made him happy because he made people happy. He blessed all of us. He is missed terribly by his three children, nine grandchildren, one great-grandchild, two sisters, and everyone who loved him.