Florence Violet Horvath

Florence Violet Bonosoro Horvath died on February 15, 2009 after battling innumerable illnesses with great bravery, determination and considerable success for many years. She was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey on October 20, 1919 to John and Emily (Coleman) Bonosoro and was preceded in death by her great admirer and husband of 58 years, Louis “Lutz” Horvath, her much-loved nephew Frank Pinter, as well as 5 siblings and 4 half brothers and sisters. She truly was a member of the Greatest Generation and managed to thrive during the Depression and World War II. During the war she worked as a secretary in the Department of Engineering of Rutgers University while caring for her infant son, mother, and other family members while her husband was at sea in the Pacific as a First Petty Officer in the U.S. Navy. His return in 1945 allowed her to devote herself to her true vocation for the rest of her life that of caring for and loving her nuclear and extended family and forming intense life-long friendships with virtually everyone who came to know her. She and Lutz collaborated in this effort, taking in her mother until her death and at various times her siblings and nephews and always volunteered a helping hand when it was most needed. They opened their home and great personal warmth to many friends and relatives who shared the great pleasure of their hospitality and her phenomenal cooking and baking. After their total loving, emotional and material support of their son William Louis through his entire life and education until his marriage to Susan Williams, they shortly became Grandma and Pop-Pop to their grandchildren, William Louis II and Laura Elise. Grandma took full advantage of the opportunity to shower her love and devotion on Bill and Laura living long enough to celebrate their marriages to David Hunter Matthews and Jennifer Hakel and to embrace and love her great-grandchildren William Louis III (Lou), Margaret (Maggie) Horvath and Sawyer Matthews. She had a magical way of making friends instantaneously. These encounters would quickly flower into life-long, deep and devoted friendships and she was much loved by all those she touched. She loved to laugh and always showed great gratitude even for the smallest gesture of kindness or friendship. Even as Alzheimers disease began to rob her intellect, she could manage to delight in human contact, get a joke, play a wicked game of RummiKub and evoke a loving response from anyone who was around her. She will long be remembered by many for these wonderful manifestations of her humanity. She is survived and loved by her devoted daughter-in-law and son, Susan and William Horvath, Granchildren William (Jen) and Laura (Hunter) Horvath, great-grandchildren, Lou and Maggie Horvath and Sawyer Matthews, nieces, Carol Bonosoro and Grace Pinter, nephew, John Bonosoro, numerous great and great-great nieces and nephews and generations of friends. We will all miss you very much. The family wishes to thank all those physicians and staff who showed great kindness and care at Haematology Oncology Associates of Ohio and Michigan (Bud Pipoly, Jeff Muler and Ken Krupp), Drs. Horowitz, Markowicz, and Bates, Dr. Brian Savage, and Dr. Cheri Diller and the personnel at Hospice of Northwest Ohio. Special thanks to Angela Love who lovingly sat with Mom through the many hours when we couldnt be at her bedside. Donations may be made in her memory to Hospice of Northwest Ohio, The Victory Center, or Lutheran Homes Society and will be gratefully accepted. A memorial service will take place on Saturday, February 21, 2009 at Lutheran Village at Wolfe Creek, 2001 Perrysburg-Holland Rd. at 11:00am with the Pastor Don Brewer officiating. Services were entrusted to the Cremation Society of Toledo. Online condolences may be made below.