ANNA WEISZ RADO
February 25, 1931 - November 29, 2022
Anna Weisz Rado (“Anni”) was born in Rajka, Hungary on February 25, 1931, to Kornelia and Joseph Weisz, orthodox Jews. Her father was the town’s kosher butcher which earned them respect and status in their small and close community. Her first twelve years on Earth were blessed with a happy and loving childhood.
The safety and love she had was cut short, however, when the Nazis invaded her area. Her family was stripped from their home in the spring of 1944 and placed in a Jewish ghetto before being ultimately sent to Auschwitz on June 6, 1944. Upon arrival, she was separated from both her sister, Susan (“Zsuzsi”), and her parents at the train depot. Minutes after, she and her siblings were orphaned when her parents were sent to the gas chamber by the Nazis. The bravery it took for her to survive is beyond compare. After overhearing a conversation between a soldier and the infamous Nazi, Mengele, she had the courage to stand tall and lie and state she was 14, the age she had heard the soldiers discussing was old enough to work and be saved from the death that awaited so many others that had arrived with her from her community. She fought for survival daily until the Russians liberated the camp on May 7, 1945, freeing Anni, who found herself one of the few fortunate enough to have lived through the Holocaust. She would discover later that Zsuzsi had also survived, but they would not be reunited until 1957.
Having looked death in the eye, it should not be a surprise that Anni did not wait for the Russians and Americans to help her – she made her way to Budapest where she was told her brother was also alive and back in their hometown. Malnourished and weak, she traveled by herself to her family home only to find a gentile family was now residing there. With all the strength she had left in her 14-year-old body, she told them they were in her home, and they needed to leave! The man of the house showed kindness to her and said that they did not have anywhere to go but invited her in to “come be with us.” With God’s wisdom and not a lot of other options, Anni accepted the invitation. She didn’t know it then, but entering the home was a critical moment that changed her life forever. She stayed with the family and ultimately fell in love with and married the man’s son, Karoly Rado (“Karsci”) in 1951, who she was married to for 53 years.
Anni and Karsci lived a nice life in Hungary and had two children, Imre (later renamed Jimmy) in 1953 and Clara in 1954. But again, the tyranny of Communism crushed the country. In 1956, a revolution against the harsh regime came about bringing Russian tanks to her town to regain control of the region. With her strong will to survive, she made the decision to flee the country with her brother, Miklos, and beloved Sister-inlaw, Elza. They had hopes of coming to America and did so during the 10 days the border was open. Without speaking a word of English, they made the journey and arrived in America in 1957. With the help of the Jewish Foundation, Anni and her family were relocated to San Antonio and reunited with her beloved sister, Zsuzsi, who she had not seen since the fateful day at the train depot.
She and Karsci made a new life in San Antonio sharing time with her siblings and their now growing families. She was a great Hungarian cook and they all gathered often at the Rado house for holidays and birthdays, with Anni making all their favorite Hungarian dishes that had been passed down to her from her mother and mother-in-law. She and Karsci enjoyed playing bridge with their Hungarian friends and fellowship with their local Hungarian Association. Anni became involved with Temple Beth-el, where she regularly attended. Her life revolved around her family.
After Karsci’s death in 2004, she realized her pain could be used for a purpose and began speaking aloud for the first time about her time and the horrors that were Auschwitz. Anni spent her remaining years volunteering with the Holocaust Memorial Museum of San Antonio. She was passionate about sharing her personal story of survival, regularly presenting to middle and high school students, as well as having speaking engagements at college campuses and military bases around San Antonio. Her message was always focused on hope. She ended every presentation with a reminder to stand up for others and never give up. The family is proud to be able to read the hundreds of letters she received over the years from people who were encouraged by her story. Her lessons on forgiveness and trusting in God were prevalent in every speech but she never missed an opportunity to remind the children to love and honor their parents. You can find her testimony by searching Anna Rado on Youtube.
She moved to Austin to be closer to family in February of 2019, where she made many friends at Maravilla Senior Living. Anni’s Jewish faith remained a defining characteristic of hers and she was excited to see the introduction of Shabbat dinners at Maravilla. She opened her heart to the people of her community once again, loaning various symbolic decorations to be used on the tables at those events. Her family is grateful to her friends and the staff of Maravilla for showing her love and support throughout her time there.
She leaves this world with a heart full of love and was no doubt greeted with open arms by Karsci, the love of her life, who preceded her in death. She is survived by her son, Jim Rado and his wife Vicki of Austin and daughter, Clara Kettering and husband Tim, of Dallas as well as her best friend and sister Susan (“Szuszi”) Jalnos. She was blessed by daily visits from one of her grandchildren who include Andrea Rado Hamilton, (husband Chase) Jackie Rado, Elliott Rado (husband Ken Slossberg), Staci Kettering Young (husband Scott), and Derek Kettering (wife Denise). She is also survived by 8 great grandchildren along many nephews and nieces, all of whom she loved dearly.
The family wants to thank Jewish Family Services (JFS) of Austin for providing counseling and support during the last months of Anni’s life, especially Christina Gietz. Also a huge thank you to the Skilled Nursing Team at Querencia at Barton Creek who guided us all in the last hours. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to JFS 11940 Jollyville Rd #110, Austin, TX 78759 and the Donations can be made to the Holocaust Memorial Museum of San Antonio, 12500 NW Military Hwy., Suite 200, San Antonio, Texas 78231 or online at www.hmmsa.org.
Memorial service will be held on Thursday, December 1st at Temple Beth-el Memorial Park located at 1715 Austin Highway, San Antonio, Texas, 78218 at 1pm. With a reception to follow at the Jewish Community Center Holocaust Museum of San Antonio. Funeral arrangements and a live screen link can be found on the her obituary page at www.porterloring.com.