Al Molnar died February 26th at his home in Cottonwood. He was 77. Born in Budapest, Hungary, he attended the Military Academy there and trained as a fighter pilot in the Hungarian Air Force. Overrun by the Russians at the end of the war, he was barred from further flying and found work as a heavy vehicle driver within the Eastern Bloc. He finally escaped across the Iron Curtain to Austria with his family in 1966, from there they emigrated to the United States. Settling in Los Angeles, he took a job as a machinist and fitter in the aerospace industry, later becoming a draughtsman and a senior prototype engineer for aircraft hydraulic systems. If you have flown in any Boeing you have benefitted from his work. He moved to Arizona on his retirement, where many Cottonwood residents will remember him as one of the CATS bus drivers. Al died peacefully after a short illness. He is survived by his wife Edith and daughter Edie. It was the Molnar\u0027s fiftieth wedding anniversary last Friday. The family will be pleased to receive friends for a celebration of Al\u0027s life at his home on Saturday, March 15th, 2003 between the hours of noon and 4 PM. Westcott Funeral Home assisted the family with these arrangements.