Sylvia H. (Huntley) Horowitz

Sylvia Horowitz, 91, of Binghamton, NY., died unexpectedly after a fall on Sunday, November 26. 

Sylvia was born in Kyoto, Japan where her father, Frank Huntley, was a university professor of English.  When she was three years old, her family moved to The United States and settled first in Menomonie, Wisconsin, and then in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where her father taught at the University of Michigan.    Sylvia attended Oberlin College where she met Michael Horowitz.  The two of them graduated in 1955 and married later that year.  Sylvia earned a Ph.D in Medieval English Literature from Binghamton University, writing her dissertation on the sword imagery in Beowulf.  She could read and write Old, Middle, and Modern English, and had many publications. Among the jobs Sylvia held in and around Binghamton were Lecturer for the Binghamton University English Department, Vestal High School Teacher, Law Editor at Gould Publications, and Editor of The Reporter, Greater Binghamton’s Jewish newspaper.Sylvia loved to travel and spent many years overseas with her young family, in such places as Martinique, Puerto Rico, Norway, England, Niger, and Côte d’Ivoire. Athletic, energetic, generous, and loving to the last moment of her life, Sylvia’s magnetism and benevolence drew people to her.  She was a member of the Binghamton University Women’s Hiking Club, Reading Group, Bridge Club, and Travel Club. She and friends enjoyed monthly lunches at the Park Diner. She often took Lyceum courses.  Sylvia wrote daily messages to a large mailing list of friends and relatives, often including descriptions of sylvan hikes, seasonal flowers, surprise wildlife sightings, muddy trails, and glorious vistas.It's hard to describe Sylvia’s vigor.  Just last Thursday On Thanksgiving, she cooked for 12 people and spread the feast over her large dining room table. She would host backyard barbecues, shopping and cooking for fifty guests at a time.  The last of these occurred just two months ago. Sylvia was the religious center of her family.  She was enormously active at Temple Israel, serving in recent years on the Board of Trustees, the Hebrew School Committee, and Chevra Kadisha. Her thirst for learning was evident in her engagement in Adult Education at Temple Israel and Kabbalah studies at Chabad. Every Friday, she would invite her children and grandchildren to Shabbat dinner, often baking the challah, always reciting the brachot, and always circling the table to touch her loved ones one by one and wish them Shabbat Shalom. Sylvia was predeceased by her husband, Michael, by brothers John and Chris Huntley, and by her sister, Janet Linde. She is survived by her brother, Jim; by her children, Andrew, Stephanie, and Daniel; by daughter-in-law, Carol Aronowitz; by her grandchildren, Viva, Elias, and Talia; and by her great-grandchild, Mendel, as well as by many cousins, nieces, nephews, and their families. Funeral Services for Sylvia will be at Temple Israel, on Thursday, November 30, at 11:00 AM.  Her burial will follow at Temple Israel Riverside Cemetery in Conklin.  Please visit ParsonsFuneral.com to offer your condolences.

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