Roberta Irene Horst

Roberta Irene (Kilgour) Horst, a loyal wife, wonderful mother/grandmother and devoted servant of God, passed quietly at 2 am on May 21, 2021. Known by close friends and family as “Cookie”, Roberta was the middle child of three daughters (along with Jean Thompson and Bonnie Zeff), born March 2, 1930 to parents Robert and Louise Irene Kilgour. She grew up modestly in Swissvale and Braddock, Pennsylvania in the period following the Great Depression, and graduated from Swissvale High School in 1948. It was in high school that she first met her future husband, Richard (“Dick”) Horst. Roberta and Dick married on July 14, 1951 while Dick was on leave from the Air Force during the Korean War. Roberta worked as a key punch operator during Dick’s tour of duty. Upon Dick’s return, the couple began their family, and had four children: Gary, in 1954; identical twins Dale and Douglas in 1955; and Sherri (the first girl in 5 generations in the Horst family) in 1959. Roberta was a caring mother, and loved all of her children equally while recognizing each for their individual talents. The family moved from Seaford, New York to Palma Sola, Venezuela in 1960 for Dick’s work, and lived there for 6 and a half years before relocating back to the United States in 1967 to Westport, Connecticut, where the children graduated high school and went on to college. It was there that Roberta found a deep, abiding faith as a member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. This faith sustained her for the remainder of her life. When Dick retired from Mobil Oil Corporation in 1985, Roberta and Dick relocated first to Flat Rock, North Carolina, then later to Cranberry, Pennsylvania – not far from her birthplace near Pittsburgh. When Dick passed from pneumonia in 2004, Roberta stayed a few years in Cranberry before moving to the Saint Louis area to be close to Gary, her oldest son. From there, once Gary retired, Roberta moved to her last residence in Lewes, Delaware in 2017. Roberta was an avid reader, crossword puzzle aficionado, lover of board games, movie watcher and Bridge player. She was also a highly social person, willing to engage in conversation with anyone about anything. And she absolutely loved to dance, often being the last person on the dance floor at family weddings. But most importantly, she was an amazing repository of family memories. She could recount events from years gone by as if they had happened yesterday. It was these memories – of her life as a child growing up with Jean and Bonnie in Swissvale; of her cherished time spent with Dick and her four children in Venezuela and Connecticut; of her avid participation in several events involving her grandchildren and great grandchildren – that gave Roberta great joy and solace. It was her love of Jehovah that gave her peace. Now a final peace has come to this devoted servant, where she will dwell forever in Jehovah’s Kingdom. Roberta is survived by her younger sister, Bonnie Zeff, and her husband William of Estero, Florida; her four children and their spouses: Gary and Susan Horst of Milton, Delaware; Dale and Rebecca Horst of Williamsburg, Virginia; Douglas and April Horst of Hockessin, Delaware; and Sherri and Morgan Graham of Fairfield, Connecticut; seven grandchildren: Joshua and Kyle Horst; Daniel Horst; Kelly Crifasi and Bryan Horst; and Calvin and Spencer Graham; and four great grandchildren: Stephen Davis and Zachary Douglas Crifasi; Benjamin and Rose Horst. The family is planning a private memorial for Roberta in Westport, Connecticut, where her ashes will be spread in the ocean at Compo Beach.