Ralph Horvath

Ralph Horvath, 83, of Bluffton, SC, died Tuesday November 5, 2013. He was born in Detroit, Michigan, March 11, 1930 and married the former Loretta Ruehle on September 2, 1950. He began a 48-year career in the railroad and mass transit industry in 1952, becoming known nationally for automatic train control systems and contributing to the design of several of the nation's largest mass transit systems, such as the Washington, DC Metro system. He was also an accomplished amateur astronomer, serving as president of the Deerlick Astronomy Village "˜dark-sky' community at the time of his death. He is survived by his wife Loretta, of Bluffton, and his daughters, Debra Balsam (Stephen) of Warsaw, Virginia and Cheryl Yuhas (David), of Fairfax Station, Virginia, his grand-daughter Janet Yuhas Gracie (Matthew) and 3 great grandchildren Paul, Amelia and Lauren. A memorial mass will be held at 11:00 a.m., Friday, November 15, 2013 at St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church, 333 Fording Island Road, Bluffton, SC 29909. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, www.curemeso.org or the International Dark Sky Association, www.darksky.org Sauls Funeral Home of Bluffton is in charge of arrangements. A memorial mass will be held at 11:00 a.m., Friday, November 15, 2013 at St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church, 333 Fording Island Road, Bluffton, SC 29909.