A Legacy of Happiness

Gabor Marton built his life around serving his community, and that spirit of generosity continued when Gabor left a transformational $1.8M legacy gift to Lakeridge Health Foundation.

“His legacy was to help people,” shares Eva, Gabor’s friend of nearly 60 years. “That’s what he spent his whole life working for, to help people and make them happy.”

Gabor and Eva met in 1962 when Eva and her husband picked up Gabor and his then-wife for an evening of dancing. Both were first-generation Canadians who came from Budapest, Hungary, and the pair quickly formed a friendship that would last a lifetime.

“He was a very, very friendly person, but it wasn't just to myself and my daughters. He was like that to everybody,” Eva says with a warm smile. “He loved my children. He treated them like his own. Whenever he would come over, he’d run through the door, get down on the floor and say, ‘OK girls, what are we going to do?’ He loved all children.”

Just as Gabor spent his life bringing joy to others, he wanted to continue helping people long after he was gone. In the final years of his life, he asked Eva what he could do to make a difference in the community he loved.

“While we were living together, he said, ‘Now you sit down with me and help me figure out where I should put my money,’” Eva recalls. Together, they thoughtfully considered where his estate could have the greatest impact. “As we were talking, I said to him, ‘Your wife spent a lot of time here (at the Oshawa Hospital), you and I have had to use the hospital services too. Supporting the hospital would be a good way to help a lot of people in the community.’

After working closely with Lakeridge Health Foundation, Eva chose to split Gabor’s gift among multiple areas of care, including a portion to support the new CT Scanner at the Oshawa Hospital and the partnership with Grandview Kids and Lakeridge Health that provides anesthesia-supported care to children and youth throughout Durham Region with physical, developmental, and communication needs.

“Children were such a big part of his life,” says Eva. “He’d be very happy and very proud to support something like this.”

That same spirit of joy and generosity also came to life through one of Gabor’s greatest achievements. In 1963, he channelled his love for skiing into a life-changing project and built Dagmar Ski Resort. Though he never had children of his own, Gabor created a place where generations of families in Durham Region and beyond could come together to make memories.

“He put smiles on so many faces,” Eva says fondly. “Dagmar was everything for him. He built it for the people. That was his wife, that was his kids.”

Gabor was an avid skier at one time but unfortunately only got to ski his own hill once.

“When he first got the hill going, he had this old pair of skis and went to the top of the Bomber,” remembers Eva. “He went down, and he fell, and the ski didn’t let go. He hurt his ankle and never skied again. He still loved it. He loved the smiles on people’s faces and loved to bring joy to people.”

For 15 years, Gabor balanced his responsibilities at Dagmar and General Motors before eventually focusing fully on the ski resort. Even as life took them in different directions, Eva and Gabor would always find time to reconnect.

“Suddenly, out of the blue, I’d get a phone call. ‘Eva, can we do dinner?’,” she laughs. “The friendship was never broken. It didn’t matter what we were going through in life; there was always a connection.”

After suffering a stroke, Gabor eventually sold Dagmar in 2010. A few years later, he and Eva moved in together, and for six years, Eva cared for Gabor as his health declined. Following a brief stay at Lakeridge Health Oshawa in 2022, Gabor passed peacefully.

“He wasn’t in the hospital very long at the end,” Eva remembers. “His face was very peaceful though, so he went in peace.”

Through his work, his friendships and his generosity, Gabor created joy for countless families. From the children who played with Eva’s daughters to the generations who learned to ski at Dagmar, his impact has touched many lives.

Today, that legacy continues in a new way, helping patients and families receive the quality care they need, close to home. Gabor’s kindness will be felt for years to come.

Creating your own legacy is easier than you think. To learn more, contact Adrienne Burns at 905-576-8711 ext. 32784 or visit www.MyLakeridgeLegacy.com