Fred Horwitz

Fred Horwitz of Westborough, MA passed away peacefully on Monday, September 1st, 2020 with his wife and three children by his side, at the age of 85 after a long battle with Parkinson’s Disease.  He was a devoted and loving husband and proud father. He is survived by his wife Rose, son Fredrick Horwitz and his wife Kathleen of Chagrin Falls, OH, daughter Lillian Hiett and her husband David of Wayland, MA, son Matthew Horwitz-Lee and his wife Holly Heilman of Stockton Springs, ME, and five grandchildren, James and Elizabeth Horwitz, Dalila and Avalyn Hiett and Bodhi Lee. He is also survived by his sister, Diane Nieker of Chicago, IL, son Alan Horwitz of West Virginia and daughter Diane Toole of Florida.

Fred graduated from the University of Illinois with a B.S. in Physics and enjoyed a long career as a computer engineer. He helped pioneer the semiconductor and silicon wafer industry, starting at Zenith Electronics, and then General Instrument, where he helped establish the first semiconductor plant in Taipei, Taiwan in 1965, where he met his wife, Rose.  He finished his career with Digital Equipment Corporation in Hudson, MA, where he worked for 20 years.

Outside of work, Fred had many diverse hobbies.  He was a musician at heart having performed in numerous barbershop quartets and harmonica bands in his younger years. At age 13, his harmonica band won first place at a national competition in Chicago, winning a brand-new car that none of them were old enough to drive.  In his later years, he participated in a harmonica group at the Northborough Senior Center.  He was an expert marksman and enjoyed martial arts.  He also started many small businesses with his wife Rose, including Rose Lee's Chinese Cuisine restaurant on Rte. 9 in Westborough, from 1983 to 1995.

A small, private family funeral will be held on Friday, September 4th at Pine Grove Cemetery in Westborough.  In lieu of flowers, the family would welcome donations to the American Parkinson’s Disease Association (apdaparkinson.org) in memory of Fred.