He was a Major in WW1, decorated Imperial Order of Leopold (Austria)
He was born in Demend (now Demendice in Slovakia). In fact the name was spelled for generations Fricz (Slovak spelling) and was germanised to Fritz. They were landowners.
He had an elder sister (Rozalia Fritz) and elder brother (Zsigmond Fritz).
When a child the family migrated to USA, but later returned to Hungary.
When still in America he followed the socialists.
He was taken out of college (because he failed his exams) and he became a printer’s apprentice.
Since he had not matriculated he was only able to be a lower level clerk. He matriculated when he was 28 years old and in 1918 before the Romanian occupation he was the second highest officer in the Arad County Postal Service. He was chief accountant.
His uncle was the district medical superintendant. The whole family except them were very well off. Apu did not know them.
Was a major in the war and was the Postmaster General of the Montenegro Central Postal Services. Decorated with the Knight of the Order of Lipot
Commander of Montenegro during World War I. Post-master general during the French occupation of Arad and surrounding region, after WWI.
With double pay he was accommodated in the Montenegro Royal Palace.
He sent beautiful miniature gold pieces such as a fully furnished doll’s house home. A Thora roll in gold casing etc.
When Apu’s parents married his father got the dowry in gold. It was so much that they needed a carriage to take it to the bank. As part of the dowry there was also a forest in Keszend in Apu’s mother’s name.
When Apu’s parents got married they moved to Zám.
It was probably an arranged marriage with Apu’s mother.
He was an excellent father, a good friend, who knew how to live. Both the family and the social lives were lived on a high level.
He was an avid stamp collector. In 1919 when we were under French occupation, he was the one who with two friends issued the reprinted Hungarian stamps with the French Occupation overprint. There were about 400-500 series. Since they were rare people bought them for investment until somebody started counterfeiting them and their value dropped.
The stamp collection was used to cover Ferry Imre’s (Apu’s cousin’s) studies in Germany.
In the afternoon he went to the club after he left the office. He knew everybody and everybody liked him.
When he came back from the war, he bought an old house in the Aulich Lajos Street and he made it into a castle. In the end it cost double, the garden was laid out by the chief gardener of the city. The renovation was carried out by the best architect.
He died during an operation despite two of the best doctors (Profs Popp and Gara) being in attendance.
