Dr. Francis Joseph Kovach was born in Budapest, Hungary July 19, 1918 to Anna Roch and Joseph Kovaćs. He completed his undergraduate and graduate studies at Pazámány Péter University of Budapest, Hungary. He later graduated summa cum laude by the Albertus Magnus University of Cologne, West Germany, and was granted the Ph.D. in Philosophy. Dr. Kovach taught at 3 American Colleges from 1953-1962, then at the Villanova University from 1962–1964, then he came to the University of Oklahoma and taught for 24 years until his retirement in 1988. His areas of specialty were mediaeval metaphysics, philosophy of beauty and art, philosophy of science and ethics. He was fluent in more than 10 languages. He was the author of three books and 36 articles and papers written in German, English and Portuguese. Additionally he was published in a number of journals, proceedings and books. He was considered the world’s leading authority on St. Thomas Aquinas, and was listed in the Who’s Who in America and in the 2000 Men of Achievement.
Among his many accomplishments, he entered a national contest in 1958 in Cleveland Ohio and won third place for his composition of Ave Maria. He and his wife also headed a school for Hungarian refugees in Germany for two years. He was an accomplished artist, with some of his works hanging in the National Museum in Hungary. He enjoyed writing music, listening to classical music and drawing. Towards the end of his life he liked to take walks, travel and work in the garden. He especially enjoyed trips to Arizona but he recently returned from a trip to Hungary in 2001 where he was able to visit his boyhood schools, family and friends.
He married Elizabeth Thököly in 1941 in Hungary. In 1951 he came to the United States with his wife Elizabeth and their two children, Ákos and Elizabeth, and became a proud Naturalized citizen in 1957.
He is survived a brother Vincent Paul Kovach of Budapest, Hungary and a sister Maria Taiko of Dorog, Hungary, also by five of his children, Elizabeth Cowan and her husband Jim of Dallas, TX., his son Ákos and his wife Catherine of Stillwater, his son Leslie and his wife Sherri of Houston, TX, his daughter Ági Lurtz and her husband Jon of Norman, his son Tom and his life partner Will Weir of Norman. 8 grand children, April Wilkin and her husband Brian of Katy, TX., Elizabeth Heid and her good friend David Dodd of Stillwater, OK, Andy Cowan, of Austin, TX, Ákos Paul Kovach of Stillwater, Jessie Kovach of Houston, TX. , Sean Lurtz of Norman, Chris and Laura Humphrey of Norman, and 5 great grand children, Hanna, Rachael and Sarah Heid of Stillwater and Kailey and Lindsey Wilkin of Katy, TX.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Elizabeth in 1988, an infant son Francis and a daughter Máriá and his brother Tibor Kovaćs.