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IN LOVING MEMORY OF
Antal "Tony"
Hartai
September 30, 2019
Obituary
Sun City Center, FL — Antal "Tony" Hartai, 97, died peacefully in his sleep on Monday, September 30, 2019 at Life Path Hospice in Ruskin, FL.
He leaves behind his long-time partner of 20+ years, Clara Balasko; his sister Roszika and family in Budapest, Hungary; his sons, Thomas Hartai of Bedford, MA and Edwin Hartai of Wayne, PA; his grandchildren Madeline, Marcie and Michael and many close friends.
Born and raised in Hungary, he was the son of Antal and Eva. In his early years, Mr. Hartai's interests included gymnastics, soccer and electronics. Mr. Hartai studied at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics.
Mr. Hartai came to the United States in 1956, during the Hungarian revolution with little more than a suitcase and a few contacts. Mr. Hartai used his skills as an electrical engineer to work for companies such as Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute, Hewlett Packard and Harvard and was the holder of numerous patents.
Mr. Hartai moved to Shutesbury, MA in 1968 with his wife Beatriz (now deceased) where they raised their two boys. He worked and retired from the University of Massachusetts as a research engineer and worked with the FCRAO (Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory). His work with the FCRAO helped to establish it as a world class research center empowering the study of radio astronomy and planetary science. He worked closely with a colleague (Joseph Taylor) who was the co-winner of the 1993 Nobel Prize in Physics for the discovery and analysis of a binary pulsar.
After he retired from UMASS, Mr. Hartai kept himself busy by continuing to work for former colleagues, and pursuing his many hobbies which included chess, tennis, table-tennis, wood-working and travelling the world. His love of tennis was very strong and he didn't like waiting in line for the public courts at UMASS. As a solution, he decided to clear the backyard and build his own tennis court with lighting behind the family house, where you could find him practicing and playing with friends regularly. In his later years, Mr. Hartai continued to play table-tennis and won over a dozen gold medals in different tournaments in Florida in his age category. He and Clara traveled almost yearly to Hungary and to many other places around the world, well into his 90's.
A small service for family and local friends will be held at Life Path Hospice, in Ruskin FL on October 19, 2019. Mr. Hartai's ashes will be scattered at a later date in a private ceremony, in accordance with his wishes. In lieu of flowers, please feel free to send donations to Life Path in his name.
In lieu of flowers, please feel free to make a donation in Antal's name to Life Path Hospice or Sun City Center Senior Living.
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He leaves behind his long-time partner of 20+ years, Clara Balasko; his sister Roszika and family in Budapest, Hungary; his sons, Thomas Hartai of Bedford, MA and Edwin Hartai of Wayne, PA; his grandchildren Madeline, Marcie and Michael and many close friends.
Born and raised in Hungary, he was the son of Antal and Eva. In his early years, Mr. Hartai's interests included gymnastics, soccer and electronics. Mr. Hartai studied at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics.
Mr. Hartai came to the United States in 1956, during the Hungarian revolution with little more than a suitcase and a few contacts. Mr. Hartai used his skills as an electrical engineer to work for companies such as Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute, Hewlett Packard and Harvard and was the holder of numerous patents.
Mr. Hartai moved to Shutesbury, MA in 1968 with his wife Beatriz (now deceased) where they raised their two boys. He worked and retired from the University of Massachusetts as a research engineer and worked with the FCRAO (Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory). His work with the FCRAO helped to establish it as a world class research center empowering the study of radio astronomy and planetary science. He worked closely with a colleague (Joseph Taylor) who was the co-winner of the 1993 Nobel Prize in Physics for the discovery and analysis of a binary pulsar.
After he retired from UMASS, Mr. Hartai kept himself busy by continuing to work for former colleagues, and pursuing his many hobbies which included chess, tennis, table-tennis, wood-working and travelling the world. His love of tennis was very strong and he didn't like waiting in line for the public courts at UMASS. As a solution, he decided to clear the backyard and build his own tennis court with lighting behind the family house, where you could find him practicing and playing with friends regularly. In his later years, Mr. Hartai continued to play table-tennis and won over a dozen gold medals in different tournaments in Florida in his age category. He and Clara traveled almost yearly to Hungary and to many other places around the world, well into his 90's.
A small service for family and local friends will be held at Life Path Hospice, in Ruskin FL on October 19, 2019. Mr. Hartai's ashes will be scattered at a later date in a private ceremony, in accordance with his wishes. In lieu of flowers, please feel free to send donations to Life Path in his name.
In lieu of flowers, please feel free to make a donation in Antal's name to Life Path Hospice or Sun City Center Senior Living.
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