Theodore J. "Ted" Horvath

Theodore J. Horvath passed away peacefully of natural causes at age 96 on October 25th, 2024 in Hudson, Ohio. 

Born on March 25th, 1928, Ted, as he was known to his friends and family, grew up on Buckeye Road which was the center of Hungarian culture not only in Cleveland, but the midwest Great Lakes region as well. He was the son of Michael & Catherine Horvath and younger brother of Julia Horvath. His parents immigrated from Hungary in 1912 and ran the Horvath Home Bakery which was renowned from Chicago to Pittsburgh for it's outstanding artisan baked goods.

He was exceptionally proud of his older sister, Julia, who was a professional dancer in New York and was returning to Brazil as the prima ballerina of the Municipal Theater of Rio De Janeiro when she tragically died in a plane crash in 1947.

Ted was the first person in his family lineage to pursue higher education. After attending John Adams High School, he went on to graduate from Ohio State University and Harvard Law School. He was admitted to the Ohio Bar in 1952 and spent the majority of his career as general counsel at the Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company (later Centerior Energy). Despite opportunities early in his career from major law firms in New York City, Ted chose to remain in Cleveland where he could be close to family and the city he loved.

In the 1950's he was in the US Naval Reserve for 9 years and while he never saw active duty, he spent time on the USS Midway and USS Roanoke.

In 1964 he married Sydney Pennington, whom he met when they were both singing in the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus. Together they raised two children, Chris (b1964) and Julia (b1967) in their Shaker Heights home on Southington Rd. 

Ted and Sydney provided their children with an idyllic childhood and home life, as well as fantastic experiences such as motorhome trips over several summers where they saw the entire USA and much of Canada. Both Ted and Sydney were involved parents and proactive members of the community. His children cannot recall any event that their parents missed, whether a graduation, baseball game, school play, concert, swim show, school parent night, etc, one or both of their parents were always present. 

Ted was also known among friends and neighbors as a home improvement addict who was perpetually doing projects around their Southington Rd home with his own hands beginning with a colonial style restoration of the interior when they purchased the home, to the addition of a beautiful family room and back yard patio. 

They filled the home with family and friends and were noted for their annual tree-trimming parties, and later Ted's Hungarian dinners complete with a strolling violinist.

After Sydney's passing in 1989, Ted remained in the family home until 2014 when he moved to Bratenahl, Ohio.

In addition to his passion for singing with the Cleveland Orchestra, Ted also enjoyed ballroom dancing into his late 80's, when he also attended the Cleveland Indians Fantasy Camp for 2 years and was pitched to by Bob Feller, one of his childhood heroes.

When Ted was 90, he married Jeanne Epstein and was with her until her passing 4 years later. 

Many people thought Ted worked harder and was busier in retirement than while he was an attorney, and they would not be wrong.

He rejoined the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus, traveled the world, and did extensive pro bono legal work, including bringing a class action suit against the Ohio State Teachers Retirement Board on behalf of public school teachers who he believed did not get the full benefits they were entitled to. The case was heard in the Ohio Supreme Court and resulted in a change in the law for future generations of public employees. 

A life long learner, Ted was a strong advocate for education and did many things to support providing educational opportunities to those that might not otherwise have them. He served on the board of the Rainey Institute, which provides arts education for underprivileged and underserved Cleveland communities, for over 60 years. At Rainey he spearheaded a fundraising drive for the current state-of- the-art facility on E. 55th, and also supervised it's construction. The main gathering space in the center of the building is named "Ted's Place" in his honor. 

For his efforts with Rainey, the Cleveland Orchestra presented Ted with the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Award in 2010 and he was recognized nationally with the prestigious Lewis Hine Award for Service to Children and Youth, which was presented at a ceremony in New York City in 2012. March 23, 2014 was proclaimed as "Theodore J. Horvath Day" in the city of Cleveland by Mayor Frank Jackson, and he was honored by Rainey with the Glissando Award in 2023. 

Ted was also very proud of his Hungarian roots and was fluent in the language his whole life. He was heavily involved in the Hungarian community in Cleveland, where, among other things, he served on the board of the Cleveland Hungarian Museum and Heritage Society.

He was particularly proud of his grand daughter Sienna, who also chose to become an attorney and is attending Berkeley Law School in California. 

Ted Horvath will be remembered as many things; attorney, Hungarian chef, die hard Cleveland Brown's fan, philanthropist, pastry fanatic, choral singer, DIY/home improvement master, community organizer, grandfather, and much more. But above all, Ted was a dedicated family man who put his wife, children, and extended family before everything and did all he could to give his unwavering support and create a great life for them. 

Chris and Julia would like to thank the staff of Crown Center at Laurel Lake and North East Ohio Hospice for caring for their dad in his final year, but they would especially like to extend their unending thanks and gratitude to Cynthia Poland, his caregiver and companion for his last 2 years who became a trusted friend and part of the family. We could not have survived this journey without you.

A Celebration of Life will be held on December 27th at 3pm at Rainey Institute, 1705 East 55th St, Cleveland, OH 44103. Memorial contributions in his honor can be made in the name of Theodore J. Horvath to The Rainey Institute, 1705 East 55th St, Cleveland, OH 44103 (216)881-1766, or the Cleveland Hungarian Museum, The Galleria at Erieview, 1301 East 9th Street, Cleveland, OH 44114.