RUTH HORVATH\

Longtime Alaskan and master quilter Ruth Horvath, 85, died June 16, 2004, at Alaska Regional Hospital, surrounded by her children.

A memorial service was held on June 23 at 1 p.m. at Anchorage Lutheran Church, 1420 N Street in Anchorage.

Mrs. Horvath was born Jan. 4, 1919, in Akron, Ohio, to Clarence and Olive Eicher. As a child she often dreamed about Alaska, drawing pictures of igloos. She graduated from Akron High School.

In 1939, she married Frank Horvath. In the early 1950s Mrs. Horvath was one of the few women managers of an Isaly's in Akron. She and Frank, like thousands of other Americans, became attracted to the homesteading program in Alaska, and in 1959 they loaded their possessions and two children into a station wagon and travel trailer to begin their one-month-long trip up the Alcan Highway to Spenard, Alaska.

Mrs. Horvath worked for many years at Bert's Drugs and later at Carrs in Anchorage, Palmer and Wasilla. During this time, in addition to raising her children, she enjoyed every handwork craft available, mastering them all. In the 1980s, after her retirement from the United Food and Commercial Workers union, Mrs. Horvath began her wonderful love affair with quilting. In 1991 she moved into the Palmer Pioneers' Home, and in 1998 into the Anchorage Pioneers' Home to be closer to her son.

She became a quilting instructor, teaching classes throughout Anchorage, Eagle River and the Valley, and traveling several times to Switzerland for teaching opportunities. Until her death she held a weekly Tuesday Night Squares class at the Anchorage Pioneers' Home.

In 1985, Mrs. Horvath was among the 30 founding members of Valley Quilters Guild. She was also a member of Chugach Mountain Quilters and the Anchorage Log Cabin Quilters. Quilting most days from sunrise to sunset, Mrs. Horvath contributed many of her quilts to the service committees of the guilds, which were then passed on to agencies and families in need in the Mat-Su, Eagle River and Anchorage areas. She was a major supporter and donator to CASA's for Children, an Anchorage advocacy organization for abused and neglected children in Alaska, and the volunteer Court Appointed Advocates. She was on the initial group of quilters who donated a quilt for action for CFC's first annual silent quilt action held in 1996, and eventually she contributed an unprecedented 99 quilts to the auctions. Mrs. Horvath received a Light of Hope award for her generous donations to CFC and she was also featured in the Winter 2003 edition of the national CASA Association's publication.

Mrs. Horvath was preceded in death by her mother and father; her brothers, Donald, Howard and Richard; her sister, Gloria; and her husband, Frank Horvath.

She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Dan and Averill Horvath, of Palmer; her daughter and son-in-law, Kathleen and Michael Hall, of Fairbanks; grandson, Keith Hall, of St. Louis, Mo.; granddaughter, Anne Hall of Chicago Ill.; and many nieces, nephews and great-nieces and nephews. Donations in Mrs. Horvath's memory many be made to CASA, P.O. Box 242484, Anchorage, AK, 99524.

Arrangements were handled by Kehl's Palmer Mortuary.