Nicholas Joseph “Nick” Edvy (born Edvi Miklos Jozsef Laszlo Kalman) began his life of adventure on June 12, 1942, in the small village of Vaszar, Hungary. He grew up learning to farm by hand in the countryside, and eventually attended a coal mining school in Ajka. In October of 1956, the Hungarian Revolution started, and when he and his classmates were forced to stand against the people of the town, he refused and left for the capital Budapest—where at only 14 years old he joined the resistance against the Communists and Russians.
After fighting for many days on the streets and rooftops, he was captured and due to be executed. He managed to escape and fled across the country. Upon reaching the border, he swam across a freezing river at night to enter the safety of Austria. As a young refugee, he was able to apply to go to America where families who were part of the NCWC Catholic Relief Service were fostering kids displaced by the Revolution.
Nick arrived in the US in December of 1956 and, along with 16-year-old refugee Istvan “Steve” Szijjarto, was taken in by Fred and LaVere Kilian, who lived at the Diamond K Farm outside of Wamego. They traveled from Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, to Kansas, and became part of the Kilian family in February 1957.
Alongside Steve and brother Bill Kilian, Nick attended Luckey High School in Manhattan. They became known as “The Three Caballeros” and were practically inseparable. The first three years were incredibly compacted for the two Hungarian boys, having to learn English and a completely new way of life in a very short time—but Nick became a very competent student and farmer, taking on everything as he went and making the best use of that knowledge.
Nick graduated in the class of 1960, and that same year, he met his wife-to-be Peggy Thompson at Teen Town—a weekly event held at the City Auditorium in Manhattan—and they were married in 1964. He was much loved by her parents Edith and Martin Thompson, and enjoyed many adventures with them.
He became a U.S. Citizen on August 31, 1962. In 1964, he was drafted into the US Army, completing his basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri in 1965. He proved to be an excellent marksman and achieved the second highest score ever recorded on the firing range at that time. He was deployed to Vietnam for one tour with the 64th Transportation Company and was honorably discharged in 1967.
Nicholas held degrees from both Kansas State University and Wichita State University, and enjoyed a 51-year long career in law enforcement. He was an officer with the Manhattan Police Department (which later became the Riley County Police Department), through which he served the Manhattan community for 33 years. During his time there, he was a part of the Riley County Mounted Police, taught judo and self-defense, handled security for visiting President Ronald Reagan, and organized officers to run across Kansas for both the United Way and Muscular Dystrophy. He was what many would consider a “model cop”, serving in many different capacities while working his way through the ranks, and earned a reputation for being a firm but fair, open-minded problem solver who could understand, empathize, and work with people from all walks of life. He lectured and spoke often for youth groups, schools, churches, religious groups, and many law enforcement groups across the country. After retiring from the RCPD at the rank of Captain in 1998, he joined the security team at the Manhattan Town Center Mall, where he served for 18 years until finally retiring for good in 2016.
Nick loved America and being an American. He loved freedom, his home, his community, friends, and family. He never forgot his roots and was fiercely proud of his time spent both as a soldier and as a police officer. A very generous man in spirit and with his time and knowledge, Nick instinctively helped and connected people to make their lives better in whatever capacity he could. He looked out for everyone—often from behind the scenes, and never expecting recognition for it, doing it from his own sense of service and justice. Nick truly held a Ph.D. in the School of Life, and had a brilliant, resourceful, and creative mind. Alongside being a gifted artist, an avid DIY-er, enthusiastic world traveler, dancer, horse rider, and motorcyclist—buying his first Harley in 1960 at age 18 and riding in various groups and with friends through to age 74—he was a life-long harmonica player and enjoyed performing music with his wife Peggy and a multitude of friends, including ex-RCPD Director Alvan Johnson.
Nick had a real zest and joy for life, which he lived fearlessly, fully, and richly. With a fantastic smile and a twinkle in his eye, he was known for both his positive can-do attitude and his mischievous sense of humor. He was a loving and devoted father and husband, a well-known and well-respected member of the community, and inspired many people both personally and professionally. He had a huge personality, and truly had done and seen it all—and one could not ask for a better or more honest protector, father, husband, colleague, partner, brother, or friend than he.
He left this world at age 81, on January 6, 2024. Nicholas was truly a giant among men, who was much loved and will be sorely missed by his many friends, colleagues, and remaining family: wife Peggy, daughter Elizabeth Gabriel and partner Fabio D’Antonio, brother Bill Kilian and wife Helena, brothers Joe, Tim, and Tony Kilian, and sister Mary Landis. He also leaves behind family members and friends in Hungary including Szilvia Kalmár, the great-niece of his adopted brother István “Steve” Szijjarto, who preceded him in death in Vietnam, 1966.
The family will greet friends during a visitation on Wednesday January 17, 2024 from 5:30 until 7:00 p.m. at the Yorgensen-Meloan-Londeen Funeral Home in Manhattan.
Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m. Thursday January 18, 2024 at the Yorgensen-Meloan-Londeen Funeral Chapel in Manhattan, with Deacon Larry Erpelding officiating. Interment will follow the services at the Kansas Veterans’ Cemetery at Fort Riley in Manhattan.
The family suggests memorial contributions in memory of Nick to the Retired Police Canine Foundation(https://www.policek9help.com/) or the St. Jude Children Research Hospital (https://www.stjude.org/). Contributions may be sent in care of the Yorgensen-Meloan-Londeen Funeral Home, 1616 Poyntz Avenue, Manhattan, Kansas 66502.