Zoltan Bessenyei

ZOLTAN BESSENYEI passed away on February 17, 2025 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Born on Feb. 23, 1931 in Tiszalök, Hungary to Sándor Bessenyei and Erzsébet Sinka. Graduated as a petroleum engineer in Hungary in 1953. Married Anna Török on Nov. 13, 1954 in Tiszalök. Left the country with his wife after the Hungarian Revolution in 1956 and lived in Denmark for a year. Then they moved to Germany where he resumed work as a petroleum engineer. They also lived in Peru for two years prior to immigration to the USA in 1967. Here his first job was with Sinclair Oil & Gas Company in Tulsa, Oklahoma. From 1970 through 1973 they lived in Argentina and Libya, prior to moving to Big Piney, Wyoming. In 1974 he became an American citizen in Kemmerer. In 1976 he joined Mountain Fuel Supply Company in Salt Lake City, where he worked for twenty years becoming an expert doing gas reservoir recovery studies on main frame computers, and retired in 1996. During retirement he designed and copyrighted several perpetual calendars. He enjoyed playing chess and was adept against opponents, both with a table top chess board and with a computer. With his quick and ever-present sense of humor he delighted everyone with his ability to tell humorous stories and jokes in the many different languages he had mastered. He enjoyed life, could be counted on being the life of the party, and never tired of solving problems with his family, co-workers, and friends. He is survived by Anna, his faithful and caring wife of 70 years, his daughter, Anna E. Bessenyei Linner, and granddaughters, Allison, Brianna, and Gretchen.

The family will have a private family graveside service at Salt Lake City Cemetery. In Lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Newman Center. Kind thanks to Father Gabriel Mosher for assisting with Zoltan's graveside service.