OBITUARY Istvan L. Ver December 22, 1934 – September 7, 2018 István L. Vér, age 83, of Stow, passed away peacefully on Friday, September 7,, 2018, after a fearless battle with cancer. He was the loving husband of Marika Vér-Barnett of Stow. Born on December 22, 1934, he was raised in Hungary, where he became a national tennis champion.
He fled the country to preclude his arrest after participating in the failed revolution of 1956, and received a full scholarship to finish his studies at the Technical University of Aachen in Germany. He earned a Master’s Degree in Electronics Engineering in 1959 and a Ph.D. from the Technical University of Munich in 1963. István emigrated to the United States with his first wife, Elisabeth, to pursue his career in acoustical engineering at Bolt, Beranek & Newman, Inc. in 1965.
He served the company as a principal consultant until his retirement in 2000. During his first two years at BBN, István consulted with leading international architects on the acoustic design of concert halls, opera houses and theaters from Sydney to Berlin. Thereafter, his work focused on the engineering aspects of acoustics.
He earned international repute among his clients, including NASA, the US Navy and US Air Force, Boeing, GE, Lockheed Martin, and many automotive companies and major utilities. He authored over 200 publications and reports and held numerous patents. In 1979, he received the Senior US Scientist Award of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Germany.
In his private life, István could most often be found in the kitchen. He was an impassioned and talented chef, spoiling his family and friends with his latest culinary innovations. When not in front of the hot stove, he doted on his daughter, Kristina, and his grandson, Rowan, and reveled in the company of his wife, Marika, with whom he enjoyed a quarter century of happiness.
They travelled around the world, seeking opportunities for adventure, life-long learning, and watersports – from snorkeling and swimming to sailing and waterskiing, whether in Bora Bora or on their beloved Lake Boon. Together, they volunteered at the Boston Playwrights’ Platform, where István served as Treasurer. During the many years of his chemotherapy treatments, they co-authored a musical, “Captain Filthy Fred,” which premiered off-Broadway in June 2018.
A loving and devoted husband, father, grandfather and brother, he leaves behind his wife, Marika Vér-Barnett of Stow; his daughter, grandson and son-in-law, Kristina, Rowan and Paul Foley of Innsbruck, Austria; his sister, Erzsébet Lyne de Vér of Puissalicon, France; his step-children and their families: Erik, Claudia, Julia and Sam Barnett of London, England and Boston, and Alexander, Sharon and Eden Barnett of Framingham; his ex-wife, Elisabeth Vér of Innsbruck; and four nieces and nephews, Jessica, Heather, Maria and Mark. He was predeceased by his brothers, Joska and Károly Vér. Family and friends will gather to honor and remember István on Thursday, September 13th at the Duckett Funeral Home, 656 Boston Post Road, Sudbury.
Visitation will be held from 10-11AM with funeral services at 11AM. Burial will follow at the Brookside Cemetery, 136 Gleasondale Rd (Gleasondale Road and Box Mill Road) in Stow. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in István’s memory to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.
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