Obituary of John Joseph Pader

John Pader, at the age of 95, passed away suddenly, but at the end peacefully on Wednesday, February 3, 2021 with his daughter by his side. Born on July 1, 1925, in Csepel, Hungary, he was the only child of the late John and Ilona (Rath) Pader. John graduated from the Joseph Nador Polytechnic University with a degree in Architectural Engineering. He then joined the Hungarian Railroad’s Design Institute. He worked there from 1949-1956 when he fled Hungary with his wife and son after the November uprising against the Soviet-backed Communist regime. Under the cover of night, they crossed the border into Austria and made their way to a refugee camp. After a brief stay there, they went to Limerick, Ireland (Knockalisheen Camp) while they waited for clearance to come to Canada. During their stay in Ireland, John worked as an engineer for the Danish Ove Arup Consulting firm in Dublin. John arrived in Canada on the birthday he shared with, not only the country that would be home for the remainder of his life, but the border agent processing his immigration papers. Ever generous, he offered to share a toast with the border agent from one of the two souvenir bottles of Irish whiskey he brought with him. John worked for York Structural Steel from 1957-1964. He then joined the Engineering and Design department of the New Brunswick Electric Power Commission, as it was known then, and worked there until he retired in 1989. While at NBEPC he mentored many summer students as well as engineers new to the company. He was respected and well-liked by his colleagues. He did private work in his retirement and also donated his services to some local churches (which we discovered in going through his personal correspondence). John was a kind and loving husband and father, and enjoyed the friendship of everyone who knew him. In addition to his many human friends, John was a great friend to animals and for many years was the neighbourhood pet-sitter. He will be greatly missed by his daughter Kathy Pader (Bruce Davis) of Fredericton, NB and a cousin Andrea Pfliegl of Hungary. In addition to his parents, John was predeceased by his wife, of 64 years, Ilona (Klausnitz) Pader and his son Peter Andrew Pader. The family wish to express their heartfelt gratitude to the staff at Frederick Hall Shannex for their care, kindness and compassion extended to John while living there. A family service will be held from J.A. McAdam Memorial Chapel on Tuesday, February 9, 2021, at 11:00 am. This service can be watched online at the following link: https://vimeo.com/508585924 . Interment will be held in the spring at the Hermitage Catholic Cemetery. For those who wish, memorial donations may be made to the Fredericton SPCA, NB SPCA, New Brunswick Alzheimer’s Society or a charity of the donor’s choice.