Remembering Alex Bodnar, "a crazy Hungarian with a big dream" | The Homepage

By Ziggy Edwards

Family, friends, and neighbors gathered on March 11 and 12 to say goodbye and celebrate the life of Alexander Jozsa Bodnar, 79. Mr. Bodnar, who died on February 26 after a yearlong battle with cancer, was a beloved fixture in his adopted hometown of Pittsburgh—especially in Hazelwood, where he lived and worked over four decades.

“In my mind, Alex and Hazelwood are inextricably linked,” said Heather Mull, whom I spoke with by phone on March 12. Ms. Mull credits Mr. Bodnar with introducing her to the neighborhood. The two met at his Jozsa Corner Hungarian Restaurant in the 1990s when Ms. Mull was a customer and food photographer. They soon became friends—then neighbors, after Mr. Bodnar gave Ms. Mull a tour of available houses and she chose one just up the hill from his. Read More