Obituary of Nicholas Pallai

It is with deep sorrow and much love that we mourn the passing of Nicholas (known as Miklos or Miki) Pallai at the age of 86 years. He resided in Jacksonville, Florida. Nicholas was born March 16, 1937 in Vep, Hungary and immigrated to the United States in 1956 during the Hungarian Revolution. While in the United States he has lived in New Jersey, Ohio, New York, and North Carolina, before settling in Florida. He worked for Mikimoto in New York City before becoming President of OPC Pearls. He was always very athletic throughout his life. He was a bodybuilder, swimmer, skier, and ski instructor, also competing in table tennis into his older years. Some of his favorite pastimes included participating in chess competitions, playing his keyboard, and listening to jazz music. He also was an usher at Holy Family Catholic Church. For anyone who knew him, being in the company of others was most important to him. Nicholas was a loving soul who relished the simple pleasures of life such as going out to dinner, and spending time with family and friends. He had an extraordinary knowledge of history and trivia, and loved to share this with others. He was very proud of his Hungarian heritage and always reminisced about his family back in Budapest. He loved to talk, and his sense of humor and shenanigans will be remembered by all who knew him. He is predeceased in death by his loving wife of 12 years Aranka (known as Ari) Pallai and former wife Joan Fink; parents Dr. Ernő Pallai (formerly Paulik), Margit Pallai (née Bálint); brother Ernő (known as Dodó) Pallai, sister Zsuzsanna Tálas, and nephew Peter Mikic. He is survived by his children Eva (Walter) Pallai-Koshinski, Nicholas (Melissa) Pallai, Lenore Scarpa; his former wife Judith Pallai and their children Steven (Christine) Pallai, Robert (Jennifer) Pallai; his sisters Évi Pallai, Ági Pallai-Gombás; his grandchildren Brianna (Matthew) Majorossy, Colby Koshinski, Steven Scarpa, Joseph Scarpa, Jenna Scarpa, Evan Pallai, Benjamin Pallai, Leila Pallai, Aubrey Pallai; his nephews Fero Mikic, Robi Mikic, Peter Gombás, nieces Dóra Gombás, Erika Pallai, Zsuzsanna Pallai, and a close-knit group of friends. A visitation will be held at the narthex of Holy Family Catholic Church at 9800 Baymeadows Rd. in Jacksonville, Florida on August 12, 2023 at 11:00 am, followed by a funeral service at 12:00 pm. All friends, family, and community members are invited to attend. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the American Heart Association at https://www.heart.org/donate.We will always carry Nicholas’s memory in our hearts. Rest in peace dear father, grandfather, brother, and uncle.