Imre Jozsef Lantos

Imre József Lantos (“Emery” or “EJ”) peacefully passed away on November 23, 2024 at the age of 76, surrounded by family and friends during the last days of his life. A longtime resident of Sarasota and more recently, Venice, Imre moved his family to Florida in 1987 from Newtown, Connecticut to pursue sun and tennis.

Imre was born August 12, 1948, in Vilmány, Hungary, the son of József Lantos and Margit Szenczi. He graduated from Piarist Order's Secondary School in Budapest in 1966, then went on to the College of Finance and Accountancy. At the age of 19, he fled the country alone, traveling through the former Yugoslavia and Italy to arrive at JFK airport on January 17, 1968 to start a new life. Once in the United States, he earned approximately 80 credits at various colleges including Pace University, going to night school from 1969 through 1977 and studying Computer Programming, Accounting, Math, Statistics, and Law.  

Imre joined the Army in 1971 and served until honorably discharged in 1972.  Imre served as a computer programmer out of Fort Lee, Virginia, and also worked at the Pentagon.  He was awarded the National Defense Service Medal.

Upon completion of Military duty in 1972, from January 1973 to 1979, Imre worked as a Computer Programmer/Analyst and Systems Analyst for R.H.  Donnelly, Olin Chemicals, Nestle Co., and Crawford Russell. Later Imre worked as a self-employed Corporate Recruiter for 40 years, recruiting candidates for Audit, Finance, Accounting, Information Systems and Engineering positions for Fortune 500 firms both nationally and globally including General Motors, Philip Morris, Colgate-Palmolive, BASF, Pitney Bowes, Rayonier, Novartis, Koch Industries, Coca-Cola, Citicorp, and Applied Biosystems. 

He married Barbara Anne Dazey and they lived in Norwalk, Connecticut, playing tennis on their own court, entertaining friends and dancing in the city. They raised their two children, Jessica and Rodney, in Newtown, Connecticut. After moving to Florida, Imre continued to work between Connecticut and Florida for several years. 

Imre had a very entrepreneurial spirit and loved to develop various innovations across categories such as card and wellness games, consumer products, and business/home improvement.  

Imre was an avid tennis player who picked up the sport in 1970s.  He was incredibly passionate about tennis, and you could always find him at Payne Park or The Oaks with his closest friends.  He had a wicked slice backhand and terrific serve.  Imre also coached his son, Rodney, helping him achieve All State Honors at Fairfield Prep in Connecticut.  

Imre was also a passionate chef, and he loved the local Hungarian meat market, Geier's, and French bakery, C’est La Vie, in Sarasota.  Nothing made him happier than listening to classic rock, as well as sharing a nice glass of wine or bourbon with friends and family as he created large holiday meals.

Remaining to cherish Imre’s memory are Jessica Holly Lantos, daughter; Rodney James Lantos, son and wife Jessica Lantos; grandchildren, Camila and Chloe Lantos, and his second ex-wife, Patsy Lukas. Also surviving are his family in Hungary: his sister Marika Lantos and her children, Gabor and Emöke, cousins Edit and György Szenczi (in Long Island), Gizella and József Bártfai in Vilmány; in Vienna his nieces Elisabeth and Bernadett, and his nephew, Johannes Fantner. 

Preceding Imre in death are his parents József Lantos and Margit Szenczi and sister Erzsike (Elisabeth) Lantos in Austria. He will be deeply missed by his family and friends both in Florida and Hungary. 

A Celebration of Life Service and Ceremony at the Sarasota National Cemetery will take place on Friday, January 17th 2025 at 10:00 AM. The family would like to offer heartfelt thanks to the caregiving team at Tidewell Hospice in Sarasota for their incredible care and support. Donations can be made to Tidewell Hospice.