Ency Fokos died peacefully in the early hours of May 23, 2025, at her home in Chilmark, surrounded by her children. She was 87.
Ency was born in the picturesque town of Késmárk, Czechoslovakia (now Kežmarok, Slovakia). Though she enjoyed the hunting lodge her mother’s family had in the Tatra Mountains, it was Budapest, with its cosmopolitan flair, that best suited her. While her parents were busy being young socialites, Ency flourished at boarding school — an environment of independence and curiosity.
After surviving World War II, Ency’s family fled Soviet-controlled Hungary during the 1956 revolution, eventually settling in Philadelphia with help from the Chestnut Hill Presbyterian Church.
Bright, elegant, and endlessly curious, Ency had a head for math and a fiercely competitive spirit. Her first marriage, to Ray Nankey, brought her to Greensboro, N.C., where she worked as a draftsperson. With Ray, she had David. That marriage soon ended, and Ency returned to Philadelphia, where she was introduced to Robert Fokos, the love of her life. Together they moved to Addison, Ill. They married in 1964, beginning a loving 57-year partnership. Robert adopted David, and they had two more children, Dana and Michelle. Ency called Robert her “soft rock” — the strong but gentle center of the life they built around their children.
Ency often said the happiest time of her life was in the 1970s, when the family settled in Glen Ellyn, Ill. Their cul-de-sac had 11 homes and 37 children. Ency thrived in the rhythm of those years — hosting gatherings, dancing, and playing duplicate bridge. She and Robert later moved to Wayland, where she embraced personal passions: tennis, art — becoming a docent at the deCordova Museum — French cooking, and the shared quest with Robert to become bridge life masters. Above all else, Ency loved being a mother.
In 1978, a friend suggested they rent a house on Martha’s Vineyard. Ency was instantly enchanted. They returned each summer, and bought a home in 1986. By 1998, with the children grown, they made the island their full-time residence. Ency embraced Island life. She worked for many years as a real estate agent with Feiner Real Estate, and was a longtime member of the Chilmark Women’s Symposium and the West Tisbury Congregational Church. She was known to be elegant, exceptionally considerate, and an excellent baker — her cream puffs, beigli, and Ischler cookies were legendary.
Ency relished swimming in the ocean, especially at Lucy Vincent Beach, where she’d observe beachgoers and delight in the sound of children playing. Her rebellious streak sometimes led her down to the unofficial nude section for a liberating swim, or onto private land to gather beach plums for jelly.
Ency was predeceased by her beloved husband, Robert, and her sister, Judith Dalaba. She is survived by her children, David, Dana, and Michelle; granddaughters, Caroline Cahill and Rebecca Fokos; David’s wife, Barbarella; and many cousins and friends who will miss her dearly.
A celebration of life will be held on Tuesday, July 29, at the West Tisbury Congregational Church. In lieu of flowers, the family invites you to honor Ency’s memory by playing a competitive game with someone you love, baking something spectacular, or raising a glass, as Ency often did, and proclaiming: “Vee live vell.” She will rest beside Robert at Abel’s Hill Cemetery — close enough to hear the ocean when the wind is just right.