Obituary of Gail Ellen Horvath

Gail Ellen (nee McAdams) Horvath, 69, of Washington Township, NJ, passed away on Tuesday, April 4, 2023, surrounded by her loving family.

 Legacy

Born and raised in Philadelphia, PA, Gail was a resident of Washington Township, NJ for the past 41 years. She served as a hospital corpsman in the medical surgical unit for the United States Navy from 1974 – 1977. After her service in the military, she earned a diploma in Nursing from Albert Einstein School of Nursing. Later, she completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Care Administration and then a Master of Science degree in Nursing from Drexel University.

Gail was devoted to her work and made important contributions in health care during her career at medical institutions such as Graduate Hospital, Hahnemann University Hospital, Kennedy Heath System, Frankford Health System-and Cooper University Hospital. For the past 10 years she has worked at ECRI, an independent health research nonprofit organization focused on improving healthcare delivery safety, quality, and cost-effectiveness. Gail also worked as an adjunct professor of nursing at Drexel University for the past nine years, teaching an online course in patient safety. Gail was widely respected for her wealth of knowledge in surgical nursing and technology, and surgical instrument sterile processing, which she shared extensively throughout her consulting career at ECRI. Gail was a regular speaker at major health and nursing conferences annually, something she was very proud of. Gail’s professionalism and expertise will be missed by her colleagues and students. 

Gail had strong opinions and could be quite vocal about them.

Although it was unlikely that you could ever change her mind or win an argument with Gail, she was a very caring person, and very concerned about issues impacting the happiness and welfare of people in the United States. She participated in at least two marches on Washington in the last 10 years, and never hesitated to let you know how important it was to stand up for your rights. She had a big personality that was matched by her intelligence and persistence. In any group she was part of, Gail’s contributions could be counted on!

She was interested in science, politics and many other topics and was an avid reader on many subjects. She was very interested in political and social issues and volunteered at a free clinic providing health care to people without health care insurance.

Gail enjoyed traveling internationally and in the U.S. Some of her favorite trips were to Japan, Paris, London, the Grand Canyon, and Colorado.

She loved music and played piano. Queen was her favorite band and you were sure to hear all about them and hear their music on any trip that you shared with Gail.

Gail was a lifelong Phillies and Eagles fan and loved attending games. She also enjoyed photography and fishing, bourbon (Woodford Reserve double oaked), going to the casinos and attending the theater. She was a passionate person who jumped into life with both feet and marched forward, usually pulling a laptop wheelie bag! A strong willed, independent, and goodhearted woman, Gail was very giving of her time, talents and herself. Time with family and friends were most important and her grandchildren were the apple of her eye. She learned to rely on her family and friends even more following the loss of her son Chris in 2019.

Gail fiercely loved her friends and family and if you needed her she would be there for you. She was a loyal friend. Although Gail was a private person who didn’t much like asking others for help, she gave her best whenever asked, no matter what.

And sometimes she would even accept help, as long as you didn’t broadcast that fact! Those who cared for and about her knew, though. She loved her cats, her home, her work, her family, and all of us in her own way. Her loss leaves a tremendous gap of love, friendship, and knowledge in the world.

 Family

Beloved mother of Kimberly Horvath, Heather (Alan) Carman and the late Christopher Horvath; adoring Nana of Jakob miller, Michael Horvath, Stephen Carman, Abigail Miller, Matthew Carman and great grandmother of Kaiden Miller; dear sister of Marjorie (Terry) Pfeffer, Dorothy McAdams and Kathleen (Thomas) Watkins.  Gail is survived by many loving nieces and nephews, dear friends and her furry felines, Leah and Harry.

 Farewell Tribute

Relatives and friends are invited to attend Gail’s visitation on Wednesday, April 12, 2023, 10:00 – 11:00 AM in the McGuinness Funeral Home, 573 Egg Harbor Road, Sewell, NJ where the Memorial Ceremony will follow at 11:00 AM. 

In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made in Gail’s name to Shall Never Thirst Ministries at www.shallneverthirstministries.com/supportus or A Future for Ferals at 507 Pennsylvania Avenue, West Deptford, NJ  08063 or the American Cancer Society at https://www.cancer.org/

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