Ruth C. Horbinski

Ruth Horbinski Obituary Ruth Catherine Horbinski (nee Grochowski), age 88, of South Milwaukee passed away in the early morning hours of Friday, April 25, 2025, at her residence with both her children by her side.
Ruth was born in South Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Tuesday, November 24, 1936, and spent her early years in Cudahy where she attended elementary and high school. After high school she attended UWM where she earned her degree in elementary education.
Ruth was an educator in the public school system for more than 36 years, most of those years she taught fifth grade at Rawson Elementary School in South Milwaukee. She loved to teach and genuinely cared about her students; she was the one standing in their corner whispering "you can do this" when others told them otherwise. But teaching was not just a career for Ruth, it was a vocation which continued throughout her life. The support she had for her students was second only to the love, support, and devotion she showed as a mother, grandmother, and great grandmother.
Not one to be idle for long, a week after Ruth retired from the school district she began volunteering at Human Concerns in South Milwaukee. She was there three days a week for more than a decade.
Ruth was an accomplished musician and played the piano beautifully. While she was an organist at St. Peter & Paul PNCC she met her husband Tom, who was in the circle choir. They were married in 1960.
Ruth enjoyed traveling, when her two children were growing up summer vacations were spent in Door County and traveling to many historical, cultural, festive and fun destinations across the U.S. She developed an itinerary for each trip and as soon as Tom was behind the wheel he asked her which way to go and the four of them were off on another adventure. She also shared her love of travel and learning with her much-loved, grandchildren and great grandchildren who were happy to go anywhere with her. Ruth also had adventures traveling abroad to destinations like Kenya, Australia, New Zealand, Costa Rica, Mexico, and the Caribbean.
She loved to be outside, if it was a lovely day (for example, 50 degrees and sunny in February) you would find her outside tending to her flower beds or just puttering around in the yard. Her gardens were always well manicured and from April through September there was always something beautiful blooming. She enjoyed a good arts & crafts show, the performing arts and she was an avid reader. But her greatest joy was spending time with her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
Ruth was preceded in death by her parents; Joseph and Annie Grochowski, her brother James and her husband of 63 years, Thomas.
She is survived by son, Greg (Linda), granddaughters Lian Mlezvia (Ryan) and Jessica Kasprzyk (Harry) great-granddaughter Lucille. Daughter, Karen Cortez-Harris, grandson Jacob Cortez (Laura) and great-grandsons Drake and Dylan. Sister-in-law MaryAnn Grochowski, nephew Bradley (Christina), Anja and Amy Kay, nephew Brandon (Darcy), Emma. Brothers-in-law Ronald Horbinski, Larry Horbinski (Carol), niece Jennifer Dunning (Chad), Shane and Evan, nephew Jeffery (Beckie), Bray, Theo, Emerson, Lucas, and Rylan. As well as many extended family members and friends.
Ruth preferred not to have a memorial service; it was her wish for the immediate family to remember her at a private grave-side service.
If you would like to honor Ruths memory, donations to South Milwaukee Human Concerns are appreciated. HTTPS://smhumanconcerns.org/donate
Those we Love
DONT GO AWAY
They walk beside us
EVERY DAY
Unseen Unheard
BUT ALWAYS NEAR
Still Loved
STILL MISSED AND
Very Dear
Let us remember the past with gratitude, live the present with enthusiasm and look forward to the future with confidence. To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of Ruth, please visit our Tree Store.