Remembering Mom
Clara Kovacs was born in Budapest, Hungary, on March 1, 1947. She was still a young girl in a polka-dot dress when the earliest of these photographs were taken, and she carried that same steady, gentle gaze through all the years that followed.
She married just before her son Julius was born in February 1966. The marriage ended two years later, and from then on Clara raised Julius by herself. It was just the two of them, and she made sure that was enough. In Budapest she ran a little shop of her own, making custom-made dresses, working with her hands and her eye for beauty to provide for her boy.
In February 1978, Clara made the bravest decision of her life: she brought twelve-year-old Julius to the United States to start over. They first settled in Massachusetts, and a year and a half later moved west to California. California became her home, and she lived there for the rest of her life.
She passed away on May 15, 2021. To everyone else she was Clara. To me, she was Mom, the woman who raised me alone, crossed an ocean for me, and never once let go. I miss her every day.
— Julius, her son
Born March 1, 1947, in Budapest, Hungary. The earliest photographs show a serious, dark-eyed little girl in a plaid dress with a lace collar, holding a spotted ball.
Married just before the birth of her son, Julius, in February 1966. The marriage ended two years later, and Clara raised Julius on her own.
In Budapest, Clara ran a small shop making custom-made dresses, supporting herself and her son with her craft.
In February 1978, Clara brought Julius to the United States. They first lived in Massachusetts, then moved to California a year and a half later.
California was her home for the rest of her life: poolside summers, days by the water, family gatherings, and holidays spent opening gifts surrounded by the people she loved.
Clara passed away on May 15, 2021. She is remembered as she was: warm, resilient, devoted, and always at the center of the family.
“We miss you, Mom.”
Julius, Jasmine, and Robert, as inscribed at her resting place
