Our dear stepfather Earl C. Van Horn sadly lost his long fight with multiple health conditions on Thursday, January 15th, 2026, at the age of 86.
Earl was a highly intelligent man who graduated with a PhD in electrical engineering from MIT and wrote his thesis in computer science back when the first computers were still being developed. He was an exceptionally patient and caring husband who endured watching terrible diseases overcome both his first wife, Sandy, and his current wife, Micki. He was very spiritual and fully devoted to his church and church choir. He was a philanthropist who volunteered for and donated generously to multiple charities that upheld his values of democratic ideals and continuous learning.
We all knew Earl as the generous, sociable, compassionate, curious, intelligent (and of course bad joke-telling!) man that he was, but he was far too proud to discuss things as personal as financial debt, or to ask for help, not even from his own family. He just put on a brave face and marched on. With new visibility into his situation after his passing, we can only imagine the financial stress he has been under in the last years, and we are heartbroken.
In full transparency, we are starting this GoFundMe fundraiser to help pay off some of the outstanding costs that were left behind after his passing: personal debt, current bills and legal and accounting fees, but most importantly medical bills for himself and his wife and his funeral costs. We are hoping that once the house can be sold, we will be able to pay off remaining debt, but it is heavily mortgaged and with taxes to be paid first, there is no guarantee.
This was an extremely difficult decision to make and we would never choose to do it if we did not feel that the situation was desperate. Every donation helps, no matter the size. If you are unable to donate, please help us to get the word out to Earl's friends who may wish by to contribute by clicking on "Share" below. Note that GoFundMe adds an automatic 17.5% "Tip" for making a donation and you can adjust this amount as you see fit.
If any funds remain from Earl's GoFundMe after his estate is settled, they will not be made available for our personal use, but rather they will go towards charities that Earl named in his will: Trinitarian Congregational Church of Concord, MA, WGBH Educational Foundation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Walnut Hills High School Alumni Foundation.
Thank you in advance for your help and generosity,
Mark & Lia Spitzer