Magda Kepes Obituary (2006) - Kansas City, Missouri

Magda Kepes, M.D., 83, of Kansas City MO, passed away Wednesday, October 11, 2006. Graveside services will be at 12 noon, Monday, October 16, at Mt. Carmel Cemetery. Kindly omit flowers; the family suggests contributions to the United Jewish Appeal or charity of the donor’s choice.Dr. Magda Kepes was born in Budapest, Hungary and received her M.D. degree from the University of Budapest School of Medicine in 1951. During the Hungarian revolution in 1956, Magda escaped Hungary on foot into neighboring Austria with her husband, Dr. John Kepes, and their four year old daughter, Marta. Accepted as Hungarian refugee immigrants to the United States, they lived in Rochester, MN, before settling in Kansas City, MO in 1958. Magda was an intern and resident in pathology at St. Joseph Hospital, and subsequently completed her residency at Menorah Medical Center. As a board certified pathologist, she worked at the Kansas City Veteran’s Administration Hospital where she served as Chief of Surgical Pathology until her retirement.During their 56-year marriage, Magda was unconditionally devoted to, and supportive of her husband John, as well as fiercely loyal to her many friends and family. She was generous of spirit in her love and care for several adopted families - from Vietnam, China, Hungary and Columbia. Her extraordinary love of life was exemplified by her independent spirit and adventurous pursuit of many sports, especially walking, swimming and, in recent years, scuba-diving. She and her husband, John, enjoyed a lifetime of worldwide travel, with friends on every continent, and immersed themselves in a variety of global and cultural experiences. She will be greatly missed by her husband, John J. Kepes, M.D.; daughter Marta Kepes and her many colleagues, adopted families and friends from around the world.