Francis E. "Fritz" Szollosi, 89, who capped 31 years of federal service - including nearly seven years as Toledo postmaster - with eight years as a Lucas County commissioner, died Saturday in his Oregon home from complications of a fall at home in August.
He was in poor health after a stroke five years ago, said his son, Frank, a former member of Oregon City Council.
One grandson, Frank, is a member of Toledo City Council. Another is state Rep. Matt Szollosi (D., Oregon), the second-highest-ranking mem- ber of the Ohio House.
"When I looked at my Grandpa Fritz, I saw Franklin Roosevelt," grandson Frank said. "I saw a guy who just wanted to do what he could to make life better for people."
Mr. Szollosi, a Democrat, was largely absent from the public eye after he was defeated in 1984 for a third term as commissioner. The campaign of his opponent, Republican Al Hawkins, ran a series of small but sharp newspaper ads, entitled "Fritz Facts." Each made a claim against Mr. Szollosi, although framed as a question to the commissioner, often beginning, "Is it true that … ?"
"He felt the allegations made against him were unfounded, but he had a strong feeling that if the public rebuked him based on these allegations, so be it," his son said.
Mr. Szollosi afterward still sang in the men's choir at St. Stephen Church, as he had for decades, and "he didn't disappear from the lives of the people who meant most to him," his son said.
Mr. Szollosi stepped into the spotlight when he was appointed in December, 1964, as acting Toledo postmaster. He was then chief of administrative service at the Toledo post office, to which he was hired in 1947 as a substitute clerk.
President Lyndon Johnson nom- inated him as postmaster, at the recommendation of then-U.S. Rep. Thomas Ludlow Ashley (D., Toledo). The U.S. Senate confirmed him in 1966. To honor their native son, the Hungarian-American community in East Toledo's Birmingham neighborhood held a testimonial dinner for him.
"He was a dear friend. We got a lot of good things done together," Mr. Ashley said yesterday. "He was very able. He knew the workings of the post office, and he was very good with people."
In 1971, Mr. Szollosi became manager of a postal district that included Toledo, Dayton, Lima, Mansfield, and Marion. He retired in 1975 as manager of the Columbus district.
The next year, he ran and was elected in his first try at public office - county commissioner, "which is pretty unusual. He didn't work his way up," said Jim Ruvolo, a former chairman of the Lucas County and state Democratic parties.
The three commissioners didn't always get along, Mr. Ruvolo said, but Mr. Szollosi "handled it well. He understood politics."
A onetime labor arbitrator, Mr. Szollosi was "a great facilitator," his son said. "He had a keen understanding of the balance of power."
Mr. Szollosi was a former president of the commissioners and a former chairman of the Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments. As chairman of the Toledo-Lucas County Convention and Visitors Bureau, he oversaw the purchase of the last parcels of land for what became SeaGate Convention Centre.
"He brought some very good qualities to the board of county commissioners," said James Holzemer, a fellow commissioner at the time.
Mr. Szollosi was born March 3, 1920. He was a graduate of Waite High School, where he played guard for legendary football coach Jack Mollenkopf.
He was a Navy veteran of World War II, awarded the Purple Heart for wounds he received in combat in the Pacific Theater.
Surviving are his wife, Mary, whom he married June 14, 1941; daughters, Mary Ellen Breister, Sharon Tully, Carol Findling, and Anita Hooker; son, Francis M. Szollosi; 10 grandchildren, and 24 great-grandchildren.
The body will be in the Hoeflinger-Bolander Funeral Home, Oregon, after 2 p.m. tomorrow, with a recitation of the Rosary at 4 p.m. Tuesday and a VFW Post 4906 service at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the mortuary. Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday in St. Stephen Church, where the body will be after 9 a.m.
The family suggests tributes to Disabled American Veterans. Permanent Link
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