Desider "Desi" Csongor

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Desider “Desi”  Csongor, age 81, died peacefully at home on May 21 surrounded by his loving family as the church bells of Manchester-by- the-Sea tolled in the background to mark his passing.

Born in the village of Szaszavar Hungary in 1939, Desi was the second of Maria and Ferenc Csongor’s 3 children.  In his early teens, in the aftermath of World War ll, he and his father were forced to work long hours in the local coal mines by the occupying Russian army.  As the drumbeat of revolution grew louder in 1956, Desi and his father escaped in the middle of the night, crossed into Austria, and shortly thereafter made their way to America.

Temporarily settled with other Hungarian refugees in New York City, Desi was befriended by a local priest who quickly recognized his rare intelligence and made arrangements for him to attend Rollins College in Florida.  It wasn’t long before he was swept off his feet by the love of his life, and wife of 61 years, Susanne Wheeler of Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts.  In just a matter of months, they sped up the eastern seaboard in her shiny MG convertible to announce to her parents that they had eloped.

Desi and Susanne raised their family in Bedford and Annisquam Massachusetts and have resided in Manchester-by-the-Sea for the last 30 years.  Kate was their firstborn, followed by son Mark and daughters Susanne (“Doo”), Michelle (“Shell”) and Monica (“Monkey”).  Family life took center stage as Desi embarked on a career as an inventor and entrepreneur within the plastics industry.   Although he never completed more than two years of college, he eventually amassed 17 patents and won the respect of the top engineers at MIT, the University of Budapest, UMASS-Lowell and beyond.  His innovations earned him the Plastics Industry Man of the Year.

Desi had a genius IQ and a photographic memory.  When he came to America not speaking a word of English, he memorized the dictionary.  A lifelong and ardent student of history, there was no date, prince or general he didn’t know.  He once read a 600-page book on the history of the Napoleonic Wars in one sitting, read it a second time the next day, and then lectured the author on the flaws in his research.  Intimidating even to the smart people he surrounded himself with, he was always right. That said, he had the gift of always making you feel you were just as smart as he was.

Desi was a man of many passions.  When he discovered something he loved, he was all in.  He loved machines and he loved speed.  Within months of buying a Porsche, he had earned 68 speeding tickets.  He bought a Donzi and drove hard and deep into the waters around Gloucester.  He bought a Rhodes 19 and sailed the coast of New England, classical music playing at all times.  He learned how to fly, bought a plane and flew across the country.  It wasn’t long after discovering tennis that he won 2 club championships.  He could beat anyone at chess, arm wrestling, target shooting, cross country skiing or chopping firewood at his beloved Grasshopper Hill Farm in Rangeley, Maine. 

The central theme, and grounding force, throughout the life of this unconventional and mercurial character was the deep love he had for his wife, Susanne.  Their relationship spanned 61 years and all who knew them, knew he had met his measure in her.  Her strength carried them through their greatest loss, that of their son Mark at six years of age due to neuroblastoma.  Susanne’s singular focus and devotion to Desi and family is legend.  Together they created indelible memories for their 10 grandchildren.  Though not one to readily express his love for her, it was noted by all that a single, full tear rolled down his cheek as he took his last breath.

Finally, it is notable that Desi passed on Memorial Day Weekend.  The love he had for his adopted country was fierce.  As all who have visited Rangeley, Maine would know, every Memorial Day he mowed a 300-foot USA sign on the flank of Grasshopper Hill in full view of those who traveled along Route 4 and for the F16 fighter pilots flying overhead.