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THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 362 January 31, 2025, © 2025 by The Burgenland Bunch All rights reserved. Permission to copy excerpts granted if credit is provided. Editor: Thomas Steichen (email: tj.steichen@comcast.net) BB Home Page: the-burgenland-bunch.org BB Newsletter Archives: BB Newsletters BB Facebook Page: TheBurgenlandBunchOFFICIAL Our 29th year! The BB was founded in 1997 by Gerald Berghold (1930-2008). |
| Current Status Of The BB: * Members: 3257 * Surname Entries: 9443 * Query Entries: 5967 * Staff Members: 14 |
| This newsletter concerns: 1) THE PRESIDENT'S CORNER 2) HISTORICAL BB NEWSLETTER ARTICLES: - THANK YOU VERY MUCH 3) ETHNIC EVENTS 4) BURGENLAND EMIGRANT OBITUARIES (courtesy of Bob Strauch) |
1) THE PRESIDENT'S CORNER (by Tom Steichen)  This
month's random bits and pieces (Article 1) starts with great news about images of
the matrikal records for the Burgenland Evangelical churches going online. We follow that with another update
on the still unsettled Austria federal government situation and a report on the Burgenland state
election (much more settled!). The fourth bit talks about the 30th anniversary of Austria joining the EU
and the positive benefits that had for Burgenland. The fifth bit talks about additional transcribed record
collections for the Sankt Martin an der Raab and the Sankt Michael Catholic parishes. The sixth bit reports on
an ongoing hotter dispute between Bad Sauerbrunn and Wiesen and Pöttsching; it's become ridiculous now so I
thought you'd enjoy hearing about it. I end with a slightly sad follow-up on the piece I wrote last month
about a family name being changed (not!) by immigration officials. I was right, but that is not the point of the
follow-up.Our regular tidbits include the monthly BB Facebook report, book sales, and some Words for Thought. We conclude with our standard sections: A Historical BB Newsletter article, Ethnic Events and Emigrant Obituaries.   Burgenland
Evangelisch Record Images Going Online: Patrick Kovacs recently sent me a note to report that the images
of the matrikal records of the Burgenland Evangelisch churches (both classical Lutheran [Augsburg / A.B.]
and classical Calvinist [Helvetic / H.B.] confessions) have started to appear online at
data.matricula-online.eu/de/oesterreich/burgenland-ab-hb/. When Patrick notified me, only two parishes had been uploaded, but the last time I checked there were 15 parishes online, so I suspect all 29 parishes will be available soon. This is a significant contribution to the genealogical community and, on the behalf of all of us, I thank the Burgenland A.B. Superintendency for initiating this project last year in honor of its 100 years as a Superintendency (it was established in 1924). The goal was to have their record images online within a year, and it appears that goal will be met. As an aside, images of the records of two Burgenland Catholic parishes (Kaisersteinbruch and Mönchhof) also appear on Matricula. This is because the parishes were affiliated with the Heiligenkreuz Abbey, a Cistercian monastery in the village of Heiligenkreuz in the southern part of the Vienna Woods in Lower Austria, and the Abbey was the archives for their records. Therefore, the images were added to Matricula with other Vienna Archdiocese records.  Austrian
Federal Election Update 2: Last month, I provided an update on the status of the Austrian efforts to form
a government, which had been dragging on since the September election and the subsequent rejection of any
coalition with the EU-skeptic, Russia-friendly, anti-immigration but plurality-winning FPÖ. In response, the
President of Austria mandated that the second-place ÖVP party attempt to form a government, so the ÖVP, SPÖ and
NEOS entered into exploratory talks. I noted that, like in much of Europe, these talks were taking place against a backdrop of budgetary challenges, as Austria is projected to have a deficit of 3.9% in 2024, which must be reduced to below 3% to maintain EU standards. The discussions immediately bogged down, and I conjectured that budgets and taxes were sticking points. That gets us to January, and the events that have been happening this month. First, there was an announcement that NEOS was withdrawing from coalition negotiations... immediately followed by finger-pointing, of course. NEOS party leader, Beate Meinl-Reisinger, said there was a lack of will to reform on the part of the ÖVP and SPÖ. However, NEOS had entered the negotiations with the aim of "profound changes," which clearly exceeded the level of reform the other parties were willing to accept. The ÖVP then blamed the SPÖ, saying "While parts of the Social Democrats have made a constructive contribution, in recent days the backward-looking forces in the SPÖ have gained the upper hand and thus achieved that the NEOS have withdrawn from the negotiations." However, the SPÖ rejected blame, saying NEOS had tried to push through 100 percent of its election program with its nine percent of the votes. Meanwhile, the FPÖ called on the ÖVP leader to resign, as he headed this "political miscarriage of the losers," and the Greens said that the ÖVP, SPÖ and NEOS must now explain why they kept the republic waiting for months and then achieved nothing. As I conjectured last month, the restructuring of the budget did prove to be the major sticking point, with the ÖVP and NEOS wanting to reduce spending while the SPÖ talked about adjusting taxes. The only budgetary accomplishment was an agreement that the budget should be restructured over seven and not four years... but not how. It didn't take long after NEOS dropped out that the ÖVP/SPÖ coalition talks completely collapsed and ÖVP Chancellor, Karl Nehammer, resigned. According to Burgenland Governor Hans Peter Doskozil, Nehammer had left Austria a historic financial debacle and his resignation was therefore overdue. The ÖVP then demanded a government-formation mandate for the FPÖ, saying Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen must show leadership and ensure that Austria gets a government capable of acting without further unnecessary loss of time. ÖVP interim chairman, Christian Stocker, indicated that he was ready to negotiate with the FPÖ. Thus, Van der Bellen invited FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl to a meeting to discuss a further course of action, leading to a decision that the FPÖ was given a mandate to form a government, which opened negotiations with the ÖVP. This led thousands of protesters to go into the streets of Vienna to voice opposition to the FPÖ and its leader, Herbert Kickl. Authorities estimated around 25,000 people attended the protests in Vienna, the most left-leaning area in Austria. The protesters held signs reading: "We don't want right-wing extremism Austria" and "Never again is now." Several hundred people also gathered in Austrian cities such as Innsbruck, Salzburg and Graz. Burgenland's Doskozil said he was not convinced that the FPÖ was happy about leading the government after learning what the budget was like, so suggested that these negotiations would also fail and that new elections would be held. Adding further pressure to the FPÖ/ÖVP coalition negotiations was that the European Commission issued a January 21st deadline to Austria to submit a "credible plan to cut spending" in order to avoid an EU "excessive-deficit procedure." The FPÖ campaign had called for "major tax cuts," but they had to announce that solving the budget crisis was suddenly more important (implying there will be no cuts). The ÖVP/SPÖ coalition talks foundered on these budget issues, with the ÖVP against raising taxes, so it seemed cutting spending was the only solution. It took just three days before an initial seven-year plan was agreed to, which was accomplished so quickly, according to an ÖVP spokesperson, because of the prior ÖVP/SPÖ/NEOS negotiations. This plan calls for €6.39 billion in cuts for 2025, driven by a €3.18 billion reduction in subsidies funding (such as for climate initiatives and educational leave) and a €1.10 billion "stability contribution" from the federal ministries (presumably not spending previously committed funds). There is a planned gain of €0.92 billion due to eliminating loopholes in the tax system and a €0.24 billion reduction due to increased "expenditure efficiency" through (unspecified) reforms. Lastly, a nebulous "further measures" category is expected to save another €0.95 billion in 2025. Clearly, it will be a long seven years of austerity for Austria before the full plan is complete and deficit spending is, theoretically, brought under adequate control. As for the Burgenland state election, Doskozil argued that the SPÖ going into a federal government "for a few ministerial posts and the vice chancellor... would certainly not have been a motor for our election." However, he did not comment on rumors that the ÖVP and FPÖ were flirting with the idea of booting out the election winner in Burgenland by rejecting any coalition with the SPÖ, should it fail to earn an absolute majority. Of course, this implies they think the SPÖ is most likely to attain a plurality of any of the parties (should they not get an absolute majority). The FPÖ's top state candidate, Norbert Hofer, gave some credence to this rumor by saying in an interview that no coalition has yet been identified. Aside: I don't know about you, but I'm getting very tired of this level of government dysfunction, whether it be in the US, Austria or elsewhere in the world. Politicians everywhere seem to have lost the desire to do what is good for the country, instead looking out only for their party. It needs to stop... but how?  The
Burgenland State Election: Six parties were on the ballot in the Burgenland state election on January
19th. The SPÖ, ÖVP, FPÖ, Greens, NEOS and HAUS (Hausverstand = Common
Sense) all submitted state nominations on time.All these parties ran in all seven constituencies so they could participate in the distribution of the remaining mandates at the state level (assuming they earned any mandates). As I explained in Newsletter 359, Burgenland voted in 2021 to make preferential votes decisive over party list ranking in determining who gets seated in the state Parliament. However, this applies only to the district portion of the election. Each district determines a number of mandates that is proportional to its vote count relative to the total votes cast state-wide in the election. Anyway, back to the main point of this bit—leading into the state election, the key questions were: Will the center-left SPÖ retain a controlling majority and continue to operate a single-party Burgenland government? Or will the worldwide shift to the right (as in the US, Austrian and EU elections) sweep them completely out of power or into a coalition government? The answers, based on the first election report (the preliminary final result), are first, that the SPÖ lost two mandates and its controlling majority, and second, that there was a shift to the right but it did not sweep the left out of power. An absolute majority requires 19 of the available 36 mandates, but the SPÖ earned only 17. Coming in second was the FPÖ, earning 9 mandates (and increase of 5 and its best-ever Burgenland election). The ÖVP and its 8 mandates (a loss of 3) was relegated to third place (for the first time ever). The remaining two mandates went to the Green party, meaning NEOS and HAUS are out. For the SPÖ, there was relief that the FPÖ and ÖVP earned only 17 mandates between them, meaning they cannot form a controlling majority and force the SPÖ out of power. Given the far-left nature of the Green party, it would clearly prefer a coalition with the center-left SPÖ rather than be part of a three-member coalition with the center-right and far-right ÖVP and FPÖ. Still, the election result left open the possibility of the SPÖ forming a coalition with any of the seated parties, so a confidential exploratory talk was held with each potential partner. On Monday the 27th, it was announced that the SPÖ will enter into full coalition negotiations with the Green party. Doskozil stated that this will give Burgenland independence from the probable FPÖ/ÖVP federal government and also avoid the "proportional thinking" that might arise should the SPÖ attempt to form a coalition with the ÖVP or FPÖ, meaning the division of the state government into political fiefdoms determined by the number of mandates each party brings into the government. That is where things stand at this writing. Despite the loss of two mandates this year, the SPÖ was the clear winner in Burgenland and, while the FPÖ made substantial gains and the ÖVP suffered substantial losses, the Greens maintained their status quo. Overall, the election generated high interest among voters, with 78.73% of eligible voters voting, a surprising 3.79% increase over the 2020 turnout. ORF commissioned a mid-election survey by Foresight/ISA that interviewed 1,253 eligible voters via telephone or online during the interval between the early voting day and the election day. Of these eligible voters, 982 (78.37%) declared themselves to be actual voters, which was quite in line with the reported turnout. The survey results were claimed to be reliable within ± 2.8% for the full group. Among its conclusions, 59% of the people were satisfied with the current state government, while 64% were negative about Federal politics. When asked about a potential Burgenland coalition government, 70% said that they would prefer a coalition of SPÖ and FPÖ. However, among SPÖ supporters, only 29% preferred a coalition with the FPÖ, 20% with the ÖVP, and 13% with the Greens (leaving 38% evidently against any coalition). Among FPÖ supporters, they preferred a coalition with the SPÖ (35%) over the ÖVP (25%). Also, an unusually high 78% of eligible voters had made up their minds more than three weeks prior to being interviewed, so actual campaigning did not create much voting-decision behavior. Among top topics of concern mentioned for the election were inflation (44%), electricity prices (39%) and immigration (37%). In comparison, the lead party candidates were less important. Governor Hans Peter Doskozil (SPÖ) was deemed the most important reason for voting by 16%, Norbert Hofer (FPÖ) by 13%, and Christian Sagartz (ÖVP) by 11%. So it appears party platforms and issues were more important than personalities.  Thirty
Years Since Austria Joined The EU: It was January of 1995 when the Austrian flag was first hoisted in
Brussels. Accession to the European Union was the result of long negotiations and then a referendum in mid-1994.
Seventy-five percent of Burgenländers voted for EU membership, the highest approval rate in Austria. Since then, Burgenland's economy has benefited greatly, with 1.86 billion euros in EU subsidies flowing into the state. Required co-financing by the federal and state governments added an addition 1.54 billion euros, and the combined subsidies triggered investments of 6.63 billion euros in the Burgenland economy. From micro-enterprises to large industrial projects, more than 164,000 proposals have been funded by the EU since 1995. Among these are the greenfield fiber plant in Heiligenkreuz that created 200 jobs, the construction of thermal bath complexes in a number of locations, and technology centers and business parks in Parndorf, Neusiedl, Kittsee, and Müllendorf that are de facto continuously sold out. None of these would have been possible without subsidies. In Burgenland, per capita economic output rose from 64 percent of the EU average in 1995 to 93 percent today. Further, Burgenland caught up in purchasing power and recently moved above the Austrian average. One industry that benefited significantly from the EU-driven investment was tourism. 2024 was yet another record year for tourism in Burgenland, with around 3.3 million overnight stays. The Burgenland thermal bath complexes, mentioned above, made significant contributions to that success. In the past, Burgenland was mostly a summer tourism area, and the small, natural thermal baths were a minor alternative. The new thermal spa complexes added four-star hotels, restaurants, health spas and other trappings, making them a luxury holiday destination. They are not a cheap holiday, but their guests are very demanding and plan carefully about where they spend their money and holidays. Stays may be shorter but are much more comfortable, and the client turnover still generates significant income for Burgenland. New Transcribed Records: Ferenc Zotter remains busy, adding another transcription to ones he has done for the Sankt Martin an der Raab Catholic parish. This month, he provides a transcription of birth records for years 1700-1736 (2,830 records). Copyright for the transcription remains with Ferenc, whom we thank greatly for sharing his work with us! Ferenc pointed out that there is now an "Images" option to "Search" on the FamilySearch website. This is the easiest way to find these uncataloged image collections. Just put in the village name you want (try both the German and Hungarian village name, as FamilySearch is inconsistent about how to access them). Not all villages will have such collections but it is still worth looking!  Likewise, Bernhard Antal has provided another transcription for the Sankt Michael Catholic parish. This time he provides a transcription of birth records for years 1736-1779 (2,119 records), adding to his previous Sankt Michael transcriptions for births from 1780-1827, marriages from 1749-1827, and deaths from 1794-1827. Copyright for the transcription remains with Bernhard. We are quite appreciative of his sharing his work with us! Hotter dispute—Bad Sauerbrunn versus Wiesen and Pöttsching: Back in August 2023, a new dispute broke out concerning the municipal area of Bad Sauerbrunn and the hotters of the Pöttsching and Wiesen municipalities. Bad Sauerbrunn is a town that was historically on the Pöttsching hotter but was raised to the status of an independent municipality in 1911, largely because the "developed" area around it included some houses located in the adjacent Wiesen and Neudörfl municipal areas, and a three-way division of the spa town was considered to be an obstacle to further development. At that time, a small portion of Neudörfl was transferred to Bad Sauerbrunn, Pöttsching lost control of Bad Sauerbrunn, and a part of Pöttsching became detached, cut off by the new and intervening Bad Sauerbrunn municipal area; Wiesen retained its land. The issue in 2023 was that the mayor of Bad Sauerbrunn indicated that he wanted to incorporate housing estates that are geographically adjacent to Bad Sauerbrunn but on the Wiesen hotter.  There
was also the Keltenberg housing estate split between the hotters of Pöttsching and Wiesen that the mayor said
should be incorporated into his town. The map excerpt to the right shows Bad Sauerbrunn as the light grey
"developed" area in the upper right above the Wiesen hotter border that is shown as a dotted red line. The
Keltenberg estate is also shown as a developed area spanning the Pöttsching-Wiesen hotter border.Not surprisingly, the mayor of Wiesen was against these plans, speaking of attempted "hotter theft." He labeled that developed area in his hotter as the district of Wiesen-Nord. This "district" has 490 inhabitants and its tax revenues flow to Wiesen. Bad Sauerbrunn Mayor Gerhard Hutter then proposed a referendum, saying, "Everyone who lives here has their children with us in kindergarten, with us in elementary school, they are integrated into clubs - they have the municipality of Bad Sauerbrunn as their center of life here. And of course they also want to be seen as Bad Sauerbrunners." This has been an emotional topic that has boiled up again and again since Bad Sauerbrunn became a municipality, and Wiesen Mayor Matthias Weghofer replied saying the Sauerbrunn mayor only wants to polish up his ailing municipal finances with additional residents and rejected a referendum, saying, "Why should we do this at all? Should I hold a referendum to see if certain parts don't want to go to Wiesen? Then the world looks different. I don't know how they would vote then," Weghofer says the affected districts are being looked after in an exemplary manner, with a lot is being invested there. Things stayed quiet until April 2024, when the Bad Sauerbrunn mayor claimed 420 households had been asked whether the border to the municipality of Wiesen should be moved, saying the results are to be passed on to the state. According to Hutter, of the 420 households surveyed there were 390 answers, and "of these 390 returned, 310 spoke out in favor of the health resort. That is a ratio of about 80 to 20." He also suggested that the area near the Römersee should also belong to Bad Sauerbrunn, saying the management of the amusement park there did a survey at the end of 2023 where "about 92 percent spoke out in favor of Bad Sauerbrunn." Wiesen's mayor argued that to carry out a citizen survey in a foreign village was an illegal action, and he doubted the results of the surveys. His response in November was to commission and place six signs with the inscription "Wiesen Nord" in the affected areas. However, within 10 days, three of these were vandalized by unknown persons with the inscription painted over and "Bad Sauerbrunn Süd" added. Wiesen's mayor saw this as an unacceptable provocation in the dispute and filed a complaint for damage to property. He also said that a separate survey conducted via home visits showed 90 percent approval of Wiesen. Now in January, one sign was physically removed (stolen), so another complaint was filed with the police, but no perpetrators have yet been identified. Later, the mayor of Wiesen accused his opposing mayor and family of having purchased land in the Wiesen hotter in an attempt to enrich themselves via zoning changes should a transfer take place. This has been denied by Bad Sauerbrunn mayor Hutter and he has threatened to sue. So far, Pötsching's mayor has avoided the dispute, evidently content to let Wiesen lead the opposition. Still, I doubt this is the end of the story, so I will report further should additional events occur! The Fiction Ends? Last month, I wrote a piece about Güssing-born 103-year-old Charles "Chuck" Estvan, Jr. It was motivated by a nice story on burgenland.orf.at that told about his life in America... but there was one statement that I objected to, so I titled my piece "The Fiction Continues (But Please Stop!)." That statement claimed that, "In the US, immigration changed the family's surname to Estvan." I presented evidence that clearly showed that US immigration services had nothing to do with the name change (but the family did change it). This month I received a note from Patrick Kovacs that included an obituary for Chuck. Unknown to
burgenland.orf.at and to me, Chuck had died on December 3rd last year, so he was already dead when both of us
wrote our articles. The obituary Patrick shared was dated December 23, which was after I had finalized my text, so
I won't beat myself up for failing to know he died. But I will report that the obituary makes it quite clear that
the family changed their name after establishing themselves in the US (so it appears the Orf reporter is at fault
for the claim. You can read Chuck's obituary here:
legacy.com/obituaries/charles-estvan.
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3) HISTORICAL BB NEWSLETTER ARTICLES Editor: This is part of our series designed to recycle interesting articles from the BB Newsletters of 10 years ago... but rather than a full article, I've chosen to repeat a short "tid-bit" from back then. I picked this one because my wife and I drove to spend the Christmas holiday with our son and, as we so often do, we listened to an audio book during the five-hour drive. The chosen audio book this time was a full recital of Charles Dicken's "A Christmas Carol." The part that stuck with me after listening to it was Dicken's detailed description of a couple that "feels emotion caused by this man's death," a vignette revealed when Scrooge bargains with the Ghost of Christmas Future. This part is often skipped over in productions of the story, but I discovered I had talked about it ten years ago, though from a different motivation. I hope you enjoy reading about it again! THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS No. 251 January 31, 2015 THANK YOU VERY MUCH  While
watching "Scrooge," the 1970 Albert Finney musical version of "A Christmas Carol," this past
Christmas season, I could not help but smile at the musical number called "Thank You Very Much." If you
have watched the show, you will recall that it is sung while Scrooge is traveling with the Ghost of Christmas
Future and is performed in celebration of Scrooge's death, though Scrooge does not realize the true reason for
the celebration... he only knows he is the cause of it and is pleased by the many thanks. A key part of the
lyrics are: "Thank you very much! Thank you very much! That's the nicest thing that anyone's ever done for me."It brought to mind (in a perverse sort of way) the Clarence Darrow quote: "I have never killed any one, but I have read some obituary notices with great satisfaction." Like Darrow, I have never caused a death... but, as a genealogist, I have indeed read some obituaries 'with great satisfaction' when they yielded some difficult connection I strived to prove. So, I say 'thank you very much' to good obit writers! I hope you do too! |
4) ETHNIC EVENTS LEHIGH VALLEY, PA Please consult the club links for their events: coplaysaengerbund.com lancasterliederkranz.com readingliederkranz.com evergreenclub.org NEW BRITAIN, CT Friday-Sunday, 1-8 pm: Biergarten is open. Austrian Donau Club, 545 Arch Street. |
5) BURGENLAND EMIGRANT OBITUARIES Olga Scheitlin (née Schneider)  Olga Scheitlin passed away
peacefully on January 6, 2025 at the age of 88 at Paoli Hospital in Paoli, Pennsylvania with family by her side.Olga was born in Rábafüzes (Raabfidisch), Hungary on January 27, 1936, to Gustav and Berta (Duld) Schneider. Her early childhood in Hungary came to an end at the close of World War II when the German family was displaced and forced to relocate to Wabern an der Paar, Bavaria, Germany. In 1949 the family emigrated to the United States, settling in New Paltz, New York. Olga adjusted quickly to life in America. She spoke only a little English when she was introduced to her 8th grade class but was outgoing and well-liked by her peers. She was active in many clubs including cheerleading, dramatics club, school newspaper, yearbook committee and the high school sorority. She earned her High School diploma from New Paltz High School in 1954. Church life was central to the family and one Sunday morning Olga met the love of her life, her future husband, George Scheitlin, who was an intern pastor at Redeemer Lutheran Church. In 1955 they married and moved to Phoenix, AZ and then to Berkeley, CA where George completed his seminary studies at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary. Accepting calls at various churches over the years, they lived in New Jersey, Texas and Pennsylvania. Olga was active in the church, teaching Sunday school, singing in the choir and serving on parish committees. She also worked outside of the home for many years, but her longest tenure was with Chilton Research company, where she advanced from a phone representative to Supervisor and retired in 1999. Olga enjoyed traveling, classical music and opera, but was in her element when entertaining family and friends. She was a wonderful cook and baker, and an elegant and generous hostess. At Christmas time she was known for her cookies, which she baked and shared every year for many decades. Spending time with family and visiting with her two children and four grandchildren gave Olga the most joy. Family ski vacations in the Pocono's and at Vail, an epic road trip to the west coast and back, and a European driving vacation are just some of the memorable family trips. In later years she enjoyed watching her grandchildren growing up while visiting with them and vacationing at the beach, on ski trips and on the west coast. She was fortunate to have returned to her birthplace and childhood home twice in her life; once with her children and then again with grandchildren and was proud to introduce them to cousins and share stories of the early years that formed her. Olga was a member of St. Luke Lutheran Church in Devon, PA. Olga was preceded in death by her parents and loving husband of 46 years, the Rev. George E. Scheitlin. Olga is survived by her daughter Marianne (Daniel) McLaughlin, son Mark (Cathy) Scheitlin, her grandchildren Dylan McLaughlin, Liam McLaughlin, Quinn McLaughlin, Andrea Scheitlin, and her sister Ingrid (Darrel) Sartin. She is also survived by her cousins Margaret (Frank) Seelman, Ella Holler and Elfi Duld and many other extended family members. A service and interment will be at Lloyd Cemetery, Highland, New York later this year. Memorial contributions may be sent to St. Luke Lutheran Church, 203 North Valley Forge Road, Devon, PA 19333; Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, 2000 Center Street, Suite 200, Berkeley, CA 94704 or the Alzheimer's Association. To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store. Mary Legath (née Wölfinger) Mary “Mitzi” Legath, 90, of
Northampton, Pennsylvania, passed away peacefully on Thursday, January 16, 2025, at LVHN 17th St. Inpatient
Hospice. She was the wife of the late Ulrich J. “Rick” Legath, who passed away in 2008.Born the oldest of three sisters in Pornóapáti (Pernau), Hungary, she was the daughter of the late Edward and Mary (Schmalzel) Wölfinger. The family was displaced to Germany following WWII and then immigrated in 1950 to the United States. Once the family settled in Northampton, she worked as a nanny in Allentown to help her family financially. After she married, she worked for many years in the garment industry and then part-time at the Northampton High School cafeteria. She embraced her Austrian heritage by cooking and baking many traditional dishes, most notably stretch dough strudel. Mary enjoyed bingo, lottery, and gardening. She had a “green thumb,” taking great pride in her flower garden, plants, and an elaborate Christmas village display each holiday. Mary enjoyed many years of polka dancing and traveling with her husband. She was a member of Queenship of Mary Catholic Church in Northampton, Coplay Flower Club, and the Young at Heart Senior Group. She is survived by her son, Richard and wife, Constance, of Bethlehem; daughter, Linda Wejkszner and husband, Allen, of Slatington; grandchildren, Jordan Legath (Marcella), Kellyn Legath, Taylor Wejkszner-Renner (Luke), and Brooke Wejkszner; great-granddaughter, Lillian Legath; and many nieces and nephews. Mary was predeceased by sisters, Pauline Macchia (2016) and Margaret Hudak (2022). Services: A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, Jan. 24th at 11:00 a.m. in Queenship of Mary Church, 1324 Newport Ave., Northampton. Family and friends may gather on Friday morning from 10:15 a.m. until the time of Mass in the church. Interment will follow in Our Lady of Hungary Cemetery, Northampton. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be presented to the church in Mary’s memory. Online condolences may be offered at www.reichelfuneralhome.com/obituary/mary-legath-9196867. Joseph Petersell Joseph Petersell, age 100,
of Coplay, Pennsylvania, passed away peacefully on Sunday, January 26, 2025 in Country Meadows, Bethlehem. Born on January 24, 1925 in Northampton, Pennsylvania and raised in Sulz, Burgenland, Austria, he was a son of the late August and Agnes (Jandrisovits) Petersell. Joseph was preceded in death by his wife, Theresa (Willwerth) in 2005. He was employed as a beer brewer for Schaefer Beer in New York and Fogelsville until his retirement in 1992. Survivors: Joseph is survived by his son, Steven and wife JoAnn; daughter, Kathy and husband Fred; grandchildren, Crissy and companion, Val, Freddy and wife Starr, David and companion Jess; great grandchildren, Destiny, Frederick IV, Harmony, Rocco, Reign and several nieces and nephews. Services: family and friends may call on Sunday, February 2nd from 3:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. in the Reichel Funeral Home, 326 E. 21st St. Northampton. Funeral service will follow at 5:00 p.m. in the funeral home. Interment will take place on Monday, February 3rd at All Faiths Cemetery, Middle Village, NY. |
| END OF NEWSLETTER (Even good things must end!) |
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| Burgenland Bunch Newsletter, copyright © 2025 by The Burgenland Bunch All rights reserved. Permission to copy excerpts granted if credit is provided. |
News
The
Facebook Bunch (from Vanessa Sandhu):
Update
for book "The Burgenländer Emigration to America": Here is this month's update on purchases of the English
issue of the 3rd edition of Dr. Walter Dujmovits' book "Die Amerika-Wanderung Der Burgenländer."