Roll Call Tribute

Brig. Gen. Edmond S. Solymosy, U.S. Army (Ret.)
September 3, 1937 — December 30, 2022

Surrounded by family, Brigadier General Edmond Sigmond Solymosy, U.S. Army (Ret.), passed away peacefully at home in Brazos County, Texas on December 30, 2022, after a three-year battle with cholangiocarcinoma. Ed was born in Budapest, Hungary, September 3, 1937, the only child of Sigmond and Gabriella Solymosy. In 1949, the family immigrated to the United States after fleeing Hungary in 1945. Their first home was in Atlanta, Georgia. From Georgia, they moved to Texas, living in Tyler, Willis, Conroe, and Houston where Ed graduated from Lamar High School in 1955.

Being on a team and playing sports was his way of becoming an American. In the fall of 1955, Ed entered Georgia Institute of Technology with a football scholarship. Early in his sophomore year, a knee injury caused him to return home. His return was just in time to begin classes at the University of Houston before transferring in 1957 to the Agricultural & Mechanical College of Texas, now Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas. He graduated with a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree (1960), a Bachelor of Business Administration degree (1961), and an MBA (1970). As a member of the Corps of Cadets, Ed was in A Ordnance and Co. F-1 where he made lifelong friendships with his Corps buddies.

Soon after being commissioned a U.S. Army 2nd Lieutenant, Ed married his high school sweetheart, Mary Ellen Via, in Houston, while Hurricane Carla was churning up the Texas coast in 1961. They had 61 adventuresome years together and were blessed by the births of three sons.

In his 30-year Army career, Ed served two tours in Vietnam, and held various command and staff positions in the United States and Germany. His final active-duty assignment was Chief of the United States Office of Defense Cooperation, Athens, Greece. He was a graduate of the Command and General Staff College, the National War College, and the Foreign Service Institute of Washington D.C. and attended executive development courses at Michigan, Maryland, and Harvard universities. His military honors include the Legion of Merit; The Order of the White Plume; Bronze Star Medal with V Device; Combat Infantryman Badge; Parachutist Badge; Ranger Tab and other awards for valor in combat from the United States as well as The Republic of Vietnam. Speaking different languages came easily to him, learning Hungarian and German as a child, English as a pre-teen and Vietnamese and Greek as an adult, a requirement to perform his duties in Vietnam and Greece.

Upon retirement from active duty in 1991, Ed and Ellen settled in Houston where he was involved in international business and real estate asset management. He served as director on the boards of Southern National Bank, Sugarland, Texas and The Mint National Bank, Kingwood, Texas and was a board member of the Foundation for Financial Responsibility. He participated in civic organizations including the River Oaks Breakfast Association and Kiwanis Club of Houston. In 1993, he was appointed the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Hungary for Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico, serving in that capacity for ten years. Following family tradition of his knighted grandfather, Baron Ödön Solymosy of Loós and Egervár, Hungary, Ed became a Knight of Justice of the Bailiwick of Brandenburg of the Order of St. John of the Hospital of Jerusalem, Hungarian Overseas Subcommandery.

From 2002 until 2006, he was the Director of Development for Student Affairs at the Texas A&M Foundation. Dedication to Texas A&M University led him to serve on various councils and as an advisor to student programs and a mentor to countless students. A highlight of his life was in 2013, when he was inducted into The Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets Hall of Honor.

In 2002, Ed and Ellen decided to “go country” and established the Bar O S Ranch. Their land bordering Brushy Creek was cleared, fences built, and three Palomino quarter horses, a brood mare, and a herd of Boer goats were acquired. Teaching the grandchildren to ride the horses brought him great joy. A favorite saying of his was “a Hungarian born with horses should die with horses, but not on one.” The many cats and dogs rescued by Ellen soon became his “critters” and were loved and pampered almost to a fault.

He had a zest for life centered on his faith in God and on devotion to his family, friends, and country. Often, he could be heard saying, “God Bless America,” “Fit to Fight,” and “End of Story.” Ed was an optimist and stoic soldier who never flinched at any challenge presented to him. What would have destroyed others made him stronger and more resilient. He fought valiantly to the bitter end. “Rangers Lead the Way!”

He is survived by his wife, Mary Ellen, and their sons, Edmond, Jr., his wife, Mary Rose and their daughters, Gabrielle, Elizabeth, and Caroline; Stephan and his children, 1st Lt. Nicholas (U.S. Army), Aaron, and Alexandra; and Philip, his wife Gayane Sarkisyan and their sons, Alexander and Philip Daniel; cousins, Gabriella Bunkenburg, Judith Lugo, and Nicolas Kozma.

With deep gratitude, the family thanks the doctors, nurses, aides and staff at MD Anderson Cancer Center and the caregivers during the short time he was in home hospice.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 14, 2023 at 1 p.m. at Bethel Lutheran Church, 4221 Boonville Rd, Bryan, Texas. The family will receive visitors at a reception in the church fellowship hall after the memorial service.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Bethel Lutheran Church (blcbcs.org); Tunnel to Towers Foundation (t2t.org); MD Anderson Cancer Center (gifts.mdanderson.org); or The College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University (vetmed.tamu.edu).