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Obituary for Frances Gail Szontagh
Frances Gail Szontagh, 79, passed away Friday, April 22, 2022 at Methodist Richardson Medical Center with her family by her side.
Gail was born October 23, 1942 in Gilmer, Texas to Gertrude and Edward Jones. Gail grew up with a love of sports and fostered her athleticism by playing basketball and volleyball throughout her upbringing until she graduated from New Diana High School in Diana, Texas.
She met her husband, Laszlo Szontagh, at Whitehurst Lake in Longview, Texas where they quickly fell in love despite a language barrier. They wed on January 27, 1961, marking 61 years of marriage at the time of her passing. Despite their initial communication challenges, Laszlo learned English, Gail learned Hungarian, and together they built a successful foreign car repair business in Richardson, Texas that was open for 50 years before they closed their doors in 2017. Because of Laszlo’s Hungarian roots, Gail dedicated a lot of her free time to the Hungarian community and was incredibly proud and grateful to be part of it. She spent many years uplifting and supporting new Hungarian immigrants who migrated to the area, helping them begin and create their new lives in Texas.
Gail is survived by her husband, Laszlo Szontagh; her beloved daughter and son-in law, Lisa and Alfred Hargitai; her grandson and granddaughter-in-law, Cameron Hargitai and Alexandra Hargitai-Yates; her nieces and nephews, of all varieties, listed as follows: Viktor Szucs, Andy Szontagh, Mitchael Jones, Michelle Jones-Adler, Ricky Jones, Tibor Pinter, Andrea Szontagh, Peter Szontagh, Sean Darnold, Morgan Stermer, Grant Adler, Kayla Ann Souder, Logan Jones, Corey Scroggins, Daniel Bray, David Bray, Tomas Pinter, Adam Pinter, Nikolette Szontagh, and Andras Szontagh; and her godson, Peter Gaal. Not mentioned are the countless, and fiercely loved, extended family members and friends she leaves behind. She was preceded in death by her parents; her brothers, Travis, Tommie, Troy Lee, and Tracy Jones; and her sister, Norma Ruth Jones.
Gail was a devoted daughter, sister, sister-in-law, wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, godmother, and friend. She was full of life and was energized by her friends and family, always finding an opportunity to share an adventure and make lasting memories with those she loved. Gail never met a stranger and although she will be remembered for a lot of things, she will especially be remembered as a “second mom” to many, with some of her most cherished memories taking place at her lake house in Gun Barrel City, Texas, where she’d host generations of family members and friends.
Gail adored her grandson Cameron, who was the light of her life, and she fought long and hard to become strong enough to make it to his wedding on December 10, 2021. Gail proudly made it to the event in San Francisco and was everyone’s favorite attendee - partying with the bride, groom, family, and friends until the reception ended. She thanked God she was able to make it and was reminiscing on that special time until the very end.
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