The Rev. Bela Szigethy, of Bainbridge Island, died peacefully at home on Aug. 26. He was 97.

He was born on Dec. 23, 1910, the fourth child of a shoemaker´s family in Szekelyudvarhely, at the time in Hungary. He was valedictorian of his high school class at the Reformed Hungarian Collegium, whereupon in 1928 he entered the Theological Seminary in Kolozsvar, by then in Romania.

From 1932 to 1933, he served as traveling secretary for the church’s mission in then Chinese Manchuria. Called back in 1935 to Bucharest, he founded the second Hungarian Reformed Church and served its congregation for six years.

In Bucharest he married Maria Juhasz (1918-2003); they had their first son in 1939.

World War II forced him to take his small family to Beszterce in then north Romania. During this period he was also engaged as a Hungarian civil servant to guide youth social affairs in Szekelyudvarhely and Beszterce-Naszod County.

He and his family were again forced to flee in 1944 to Germany, where they lived in refugee camps for nearly five years in the American occupation zone before finally reaching the United States as displaced persons in 1949. After another year of temporary residences, he became pastor of the Hungarian Reformed Church in Buffalo, N.Y., where he served for six years. Their second son was born in 1955.

The family moved to Wharton, N.J., in 1956, when its bilingual Hungarian Reformed Church chose him as pastor. From 1961 to 1977 he served as pastor in the English-speaking United Presbyterian Church of Flanders, N.J. He retired and spent his remaining 31 years on Bainbridge as a member of the Northwest Synod of the Presbyterian Church (USA), where he occasionally conducted pastoral services.

He is survived by sons, Zoltan of Bainbridge Island and Bela of New York City, and grandchildren Tivan of New York City, Geza of Berkeley, Calif., Cara of New York City, and Ian of New York City.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Oct. 4 at Rolling Bay Presbyterian Church.

Remembrance donations may be made to his high school in Szekelyudvarhely. Please make checks out to “Calvin Synod Conference United Church of Christ,” indicate “In memory of Bela Szigethy,” and mail to Calvin Synod Conference United Church of Christ, Attn: Gabriella Nadas, P.O. Box 36141, Canton, OH 44735. An accompanying note can also mention the purpose as ‘Reformed Church School in Szekelyudvarhely, Romania, a.ka. Bacskamadarasi Kis Gergely School. An online guest book is at www.cookfamilyfuneralhome.com.