AYKLER, William Béla It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of William Béla Aykler on June 23, 2018, at home after a long illness surrounded by family.
William is survived by his loving wife of thirty years Susan and sons Leslie (Christina) and Robert (Petra) and devoted grandchildren Justin (Lina), Daniel, Sebastian (India), Elisa (Stefan Sohns), and Tommy (Rachel), great-grandchildren Carter, Eleanora, Thomas and Ayra and many nieces and nephews in Canada, the United States and Austria, who were all very fond of their “Uncle Bill.” Bill was predeceased by his first wife Margaret and much-loved sister Caroline Padanyi (2016), older brothers István and Tibor Schroder, and Zsigmond Aykler. He was born in Nagyszöllös on April 15, 1929. As a 17-year-old, the war swept him from a life of affluence and privilege. He became a refugee, eventually immigrating to Canada in 1947. He signed a one-year contract to work in agriculture and then grew tobacco near Delhi until he saved enough money to move to Toronto. Because of his growing family, he had to find employment and enrolled in courses on property management, community planning and real estate appraisal.
Following the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, he served as a volunteer coordinator for six months in the Jarvis Street Refugee Shelter in Toronto, assisting newly arrived refugees in finding jobs and housing. In 1958, inspired by his strong sense of entrepreneurship, Bill learned the business of real estate, starting with Rideout Real Estate, then becoming a realtor and partner in Gillen Associates Real Estate. By the start of the 1960s, William Aykler expanded his real estate activities into the building trade. The first townhouses in Toronto – elegant European style row housing – were introduced in the St. Clair Avenue Road district. William spearheaded numerous developments in the Greater Toronto Area including a trio of condominiums that helped revitalize the Jarvis-Wellesley area. With his sons Les and Bob joining him, the firm changed its name to Aykler Real Estate Inc. In the 1980s and early 1990s, William Aykler and his firm served as development consultants for non-profit housing corporations, creating more than 1,200 units of assisted housing in Metro Toronto, such as Villa Otthon, Villa Otthon (Lambton), Rákoczi Villa and Erdélyi House for the Canadian-Hungarian community. Tobias I and II were sponsored by the Franciscan Order, Don Mills and East Toronto parishes. Blue Danube House was sponsored by the Danube Swabians and Akwa Honsta was created as a non-profit housing corporation for the Aboriginal community.
William turned his attention to giving back to his adopted homeland through philanthropy with his wife Susan. As a founding member of the Rakoczi Foundation, he was instrumental in fund-raising for cultural events, conferences at the University of Toronto and preserving the historical record. After 1989, when the iron curtain crumbled in east-central Europe, the Students Without Boundaries program was established as a scholarship exchange program to build bridges of understanding between students in Canada and east-central Europe. In 2008, this programme was awarded the first Charlemagne Youth Prize from the European Parliament. Over 3,500 students have participated in this worthwhile programme over the past 25 years.
The legacy of William Aykler will live on through his tremendous contributions to the historic growth of this city and for providing learning opportunities for young people through scholarships and life changing exchange programmes. Visitation at the Morley Bedford Funeral Home, 159 Eglinton Ave. W., Toronto (2 stoplights west of Yonge St.) on Thursday, June 28th from 6-9 p.m.
A Funeral Mass will be held at St. Elizabeth of Hungary Roman Catholic Church, 432 Sheppard Ave. E., North York, on Friday, June 29th at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, donations to a scholarship fund in memory of William Aykler would be much appreciated by the family. Donations should be made to “Rakoczi Foundation,” and mailed to: 80 Carlton Street, Toronto, Ontario M5B 1L6.