Elinor Lander Horwitz

HORWITZ

ELINOR LANDER HORWITZ

Elinor Lander Horwitz, 93, died on November 3, 2022 at her home at Ingleside at Rock Creek, in Washington, DC, after a recurrence of lung cancer. Born and raised in New Haven, Connecticut, she received her BA in English from Smith College in 1950 and remained a devoted alumna throughout her life. A Smith classmate introduced her to Dr. Norman Horwitz, a neurosurgeon, with whom she had a long and happy marriage for more than 62 years, until his death in 2012.



One of the winners of a nationwide competition, she designed a gargoyle for the National Cathedral. As a free-lance journalist, she was a prolific contributor on a wide variety of subjects to The Washington Evening Star, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and numerous national magazines. She also authored more than 10 books for children and young adults, including the classic "When the Sky is Like Lace," and three books on American folk art. She served as a longtime board member of the ACLU of D.C. and was a staff writer and editor for the Defenders of Wildlife and the Association of American University Women magazines.



A beloved matriarch, she is survived by her children, Erica Horwitz of Scarsdale, New York, and Joshua Horwitz, of Chevy Chase, Maryland, and was predeceased by her son Tony Horwitz, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, author, and historian. She is also survived by her daughters-in-law, Ericka Markman and Geraldine Brooks, her son-in-law, David Gordon, and seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren to whom she was devoted. A private burial was held in New Haven, followed by a memorial service at Ingleside in early December.