Dr. Bela Csaki of Glenham, SD, died in his home Tuesday, November 3, 2020 at 83. He was born February 14, 1937, in Jászfényszaru, Hungary. Eldest son to his parents, Bela and Kornelia (Mayer) Csaki, the family was later joined by Bela’s younger brother, Jozsef. Bela managed to escape communist Hungary in the uprising of 1956 and made his way to Germany, first to Hamburg and then to Heidelberg, where he first studied medicine. He emigrated to the U.S. in 1963, finished his surgical residency and ultimately became a renowned cardiovascular surgeon. He eventually settled in Kansas City, Missouri, where he performed the city’s first open-heart surgery. His surgical expertise helped advance the medical profession generally, as well as preserve the lives of countless patients. Bela initially retired from practice in 2004 and moved to Mankato, KS; however, his passion for surgery brought him out of retirement and to Mobridge, SD, where he became the town’s general surgeon. He loved horses, particularly Thoroughbreds. He even found his way into the winner’s circle with a horse that he bred and raised. He was also an avid hunter, which is one of the reasons he relocated to both Mankato and later, Mobridge. He bred some of the finest German Shorthair pointers in the U.S., many of them dual champions. He is survived by his wife, Dorothy, his brother, Jozsef, his six children, Julia Maria Csaki, Anna Maria Csaki Montaguti (Alessandro), Bela Stephen Csaki (Jennifer), Diana Kornelia Csaki, Francis Paul Csaki (Rachel), and Angela Csaki Huttner (Benedikt), sixteen grandchildren, Giorgia Pagnotta; Sofia, Tommaso, Massimiliano, and Valentina Montaguti; Gabrielle and Caleb McMahon-Csaki; Christabelle and Sasha Vidrini; Molly McDiarmid (Joshua), Olivia, Ella and Luke Csaki; and Silvan, Annabelle, and Lilith Huttner, as well as numerous other beloved family members—dear nephews like Tibi, cousins, nieces, nephews, and stepchildren, among others. Visitation is Thursday, November 12^th from 5pm-7pm with a Liturgical Wake service at 7 PM at Kesling Funeral Home. Mass of Christian Burial will be at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Mobridge at 6 PM on Friday evening. Direct inquiries regarding the visitation and funeral service to the Kesling Funeral Home at (605) 845-2200 or klfuneralhome@westriv.com. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the American Heart Association  (www.heart.org) or Pheasants Forever (www.pheasantsforever.org).

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