Ferenc Pavlics
Ferenc Pavlics was born in Balozsameggyes, Hungary on February 3, 1928 to Károly Pavlics and Rozina Perusich. He died peacefully at his Santa Barbara home of over 50 years on February 13, 2024. Ferenc was preceded in death by his first wife Klára, his second wife Catherine, and his sons Frank and Peter. He leaves behind his three grandchildren Mark (Collene), Eric (Gabriela) and Victoria (Brent), his great-grandchildren Frances and Harlan, his daughters-in-law Nancy and Tammy, and countless family and friends.
Ferenc was the son of two teachers, and the fourth of nine children. He grew up in western Hungary with his siblings Károly, Mária, Anna, József, Teréz, István, Margit and Tamás. Growing up, Ferenc loved to play soccer, and his goals were legendary in his small village – as a teenager he often played barefoot and one time even broke his toe (which his siblings helped keep secret from their parents, to avoid a scolding)! In 1950, he graduated from the Technical University of Budapest and worked as a mechanical engineer at a government-run industrial design institute.
In the aftermath of the failed 1956 Hungarian Revolution, Ferenc and his wife Klára left Hungary and eventually immigrated to the United States. At Camp Kilmer, which had reopened as a camp for Hungarian refugees, he was recruited by General Motors and moved to Detroit, MI. While living in Detroit, they welcomed their two sons Frank (b. 1957) and Peter (b. 1960).
The family relocated to Santa Barbara, CA in the early 1960s, where Ferenc designed and developed the Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The LRV was the first astronaut-driven rover on the moon, and was used during the Apollo 15, 16 and 17 missions. It was a feat of engineering, and a testament to Ferenc’s intellect, drive, and spirit of discovery – and he received medals of recognition for his contributions to space travel and exploration. He was also part of the development of hybrid and fuel cell driven vehicles, and the electric bus network of Santa Barbara.
Those who knew Ferenc described him as a loving brother, father, grandfather and friend. He was a true patriarch: family-centric, loyal and committed above all else. He was sharp and sturdy well into his final years, never losing his sense of fierce competition, resilience and wry humor. A lifelong engineer even in retirement, there was nothing Ferenc couldn’t fix and he took pride in keeping his home in beautiful condition. And his true claim to fame (in the eyes of his grandchildren) was building a state-of-the-art treehouse with his grandsons, which still stands to this day.
Ferenc was an avid tennis player and fan, playing weekly matches well into his 80s. He was also a music lover, and spent every season attending the Santa Barbara Symphony as well as supporting the Community Arts Music Association (CAMA). He spent years traveling the world, and spending time with his family and friends across the US, Hungary, Austria and Sweden. And in his later years you could find him tending to his garden and grove of citrus trees, enjoying a nice glass of wine, taking long walks on Hendry’s beach and doing the daily sudoku in pen.
A private memorial will be held later this year, please reach out to mpavlics@gmail.com for details. Memorial donations can be made in Ferenc’s name to the Community Arts Music Association (CAMA).