Hungarian born Lou Batori dies at age 107
Lou and Judith Batori pictured in 2010
From staff reports
Lou Batori, Glen Arbor’s centenarian who was born in Budapest, survived the Russian advance during World War I, immigrated to the United States in 1929, made his career as a successful engineer, and downhill skied and motorcycled into his 100s, has died at age 107. His 108th birthday would have been on July 31. Batori’s wife Judith passed away 18 months ago. From 1981 until 2015, they lived on Lake St. with a view of downtown Glen Arbor.
Batori’s stepson Ward confirmed the news earlier today with a Facebook ode that would have made Lou proud:
“Well, it’s a day for memory and reflection. Lou Batori, my stepfather, has passed. He was born in Transylvania “second son of a second son” of the Baron Batory. Normally he would have no chance but due to longevity he would have been the Baron if there were still a barony.
He survived WWI in Hungary. As a young man he escaped the [Russian] invasion in an open cattle car to Switzerland. He raced motorcycles across Europe. Ran the Batori Computer Company that provided the backup computers for the Mercury Astronauts. Did significant engineering work for American companies like Sperry Gyroscope and Grumman.
Was a fantastic skier: elegant and Fast. Even in his nineties he was still beating me. In his 100s he was the top American skier on the Nastar circuit. He was a consummate sports car rallyist both as a participant and Rally Master. The International MGCC 1000 Rallys that he designed were positively wonderful. Even at the age of 100 he was still motorcycling all across the USA with my mother in the side car.”
Lou and Judith Batori were grand marshals of the Glen Arbor Fourth of July parade in 2010. Prior to the parade he joked to the Glen Arbor Sun, “As you age, your energy depletes by 5 percent each year, so I’m in negative territory now.” At the time, Lou was still biking 17 miles around the Glen Lakes each day.
“This is a small village, very quiet,” he said about Glen Arbor. “But scrape the surface and you find some amazingly talented and educated people here, more than you might elsewhere. I like Glen Arbor because it is gentle and genteel.”
This newspaper included Batori in a 2002 story about immigrants to America who settled in Glen Arbor.
“On a motorcycle is the only way to see this country, how vast it is,” he told the Sun. “You reflect, and see what the pioneers had to do. If they made 10 miles, that was a good day, trudging slowly across the country.”
Batory first learned to ski as a 10 year old in Hungary, when everyone used strap-on bindings and had no edges on their skis. “We used to say ‘Bend ze knees and swing ze shoulders.’ Now the only function the upper body has is to hold the poles.”
“When I ski I dance a Strauss waltz down the mountain,” he joked. “My wife recognizes my skiing by the musical style.”
Check out this 2011 video from CBS Sunday Morning of Lou Batori skiing at Nubbs Nob.
