John Andrew Horvath

John A. Horvath, 81, of Las Vegas passed away peacefully on May 20, 2018, surrounded by his family at his home. After a long illness, he passed on his birthday, celebrating with a shot of Maker’s Mark whisky and Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon.”

John was born May 20, 1937, in Anaconda, Montana. John (who grew up known to everyone as “Jack”) moved with his family to Spokane, Washington, where he grew up with a core of lifelong friends. After joining the Army with a number of those friends, he served multiple deployments throughout Cold War Europe as a military police officer (MP), including Paris alongside the French Gendarmerie, and in Fulda, West Germany, where troops guarded the Fulda Gap. Establishing a family tradition passed down through generations, he met his future wife, Ann Lynch, in a bar on a blind date, and proposed shortly thereafter. Married in La Grande, Oregon, they had two children, Michael (Mike) and John Matthew (Matty).

After returning to the U.S. he enrolled in the Criminal Justice program at Washington State University, where he received his Master’s Degree. When he accepted a teaching position in the newly formed Criminal Justice program at UNLV in the summer of 1970, he planned staying only a few years. However, that short-term plan turned into a long and tenured teaching and academic career that ended in 1999, when he retired as Emeritus Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice. During his time at UNLV, he was recognized as a trusted mentor, advisor, instructor and counselor to students and police officers getting their college and advanced degrees, with a number of those individuals going on to long, successful careers and positions of local and state leadership, as well as elective office.

Known to everyone as “Papa” he loved reading military history, long conversations with his family and friends about history and politics, “torturing” house guests with the Rush Limbaugh show and reminiscing about the early days of UNLV and the Metropolitan Police Department. A long-time member of the WSU Alumni Association, he was active in a long list of professional organizations and honor societies, as well as Exchange Club and the First Presbyterian Church.

He is survived by his son, Mike; daughter-in-law Sandra; grandson John Michael; step grandson Randy; and great-grandson Levi. He was preceded in death by his wife Ann; his son John Matthew; his sister Elizabeth; and his parents, Andrew and Mildred.

Memorial services are scheduled for Saturday, June 2, at 11 a.m. at Grace Presbyterian Church, 1515 West Charleston. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be given to the Ann and Matt Horvath Scholarship Fund, on behalf of the UNLV Foundation, 4505 Maryland Parkway Box 451006, Las Vegas, NV 89154-1006.