Julius E. Izso

Julius E. Izso, age 83 of Ithaca, died peacefully at Saunders Medical Center Long Term Care on Sunday, May 17, 2015. He was born October 4, 1931 at Fords, New Jersey, to Julius and Helen (Bala) Izso. He grew up in Fords and graduated from Ryder College with a degree in Accounting. To say Julius was an avid baseball fan is an incredible understatement. Throughout his life, he possessed an encyclopedic knowledge of baseball facts, figures, and batting averages for all the major league players and teams. He was especially devoted to his team – the Yankees. While in New Jersey, Julius could often be found behind home plate umpiring high school games. While on a youth fellowship activity with his church, Julius met Mary Ann Kovacs. They instantly grew fond of one another but their dating plans were interrupted when Julius enlisted in the United States Army during the Korean Conflict. When he returned home, Julius and Mary Ann resumed their courtship and were married June 30, 1956 at the Hungarian Reformed Church in Carteret, New Jersey. For 8 years, Julius and Mary Ann owned and operated King George Sweet Shop on King George Street in Fords, New Jersey. During this period, Julius became acquainted with the Wahoo Newspaper. As a regular reader of that publication, Julius grew to appreciate the allure of small town life in Nebraska and felt that it would be a better place to raise their children than his home state of New Jersey. So, they set off on a trip through the entire state of Nebraska and chose Wahoo as their new home. Julius arranged for a job at a local filling station. He later worked at the Safeway store as well as at the prison near Mead where he worked in the Trustee Division overseeing prisoners working outside the facility. In 1975, Julius took a job as a mail carrier in Fremont and within a year was able to transfer to Wahoo. His route took him on a walking trek of 14 miles every day until he retired in 1993. Following his retirement, Julius spent five years at Region V Services where he supervised clients in their residences as well as in their jobs throughout the community. In 1970, Rev. Loren Carlson of Mead led Julius to the Lord and he accepted Christ as his personal Savior. His faith was a vital part of Julius' life and he lived out his faith with his family, friends, and church family. Whenever the church doors were open, Julius was there quietly and faithfully serving God. He adored his grandchildren and cherished every moment he spent with them engaging in various activities. Julius never missed one of their events. He was a proud member of the Republican Party which was a tradition carried through his family for several generations. Not only did baseball lose one of its greatest fans in the death of Julius Izso, the ultraconservative Republican base lost one of its most ardent supporters. Julius is survived by his wife Mary Ann of Ithaca; son and daughter-in-law Julius H. "Jay" (Linda) Izso of Raleigh, NC; their son Jaycob Izso of Portland, OR; daughter and son-in-law Mary and Danny Lucas of Ithaca; their children Nickole (Eric) Fenske (Olivia and Ean) of Colon, Daniel Jr. (Jaimee) Lucas of Weston, Endre Lucas of Ithaca, Sairah Lucas of Ithaca, and Izibell Lucas of Ithaca. He was preceded in death by his parents, sister Jeanette Cwiklic, and an infant sister.