Ruth Anna Van Horn

Ruth Anna Hammer Van Horn was born on January 9, 1935 in Mannheim, Germany. She was one of eleven children born to Josef and Anna Hammer. Her early life was colored by poverty and war time, but she also fondly remembers her life surrounded by the forest and its pathways, ice skating on frozen ponds, and local dances with her friends in the neighborhoods. She adored her mother and her famous cooking, often attempting to recreate the German recipes her mother cooked for her as she grew up. As a young adult, she started working in a sewing factory. On one fateful day, she missed her bus. As she and a friend waited on the street corner, wondering how to get home, a group of American GI’s from Kaiserslautern happened by and picked them up. One of those young servicemen, Lester William Van Horn, became her husband on December 28, 1957. Ruth came to the US and joined Les’ large family in 1958. They lived in the San Francisco Bay Area, surrounded by Les’ extended family until 1973 when Les’ work took them to Littleton, Colorado. They lived in Littleton until 2006, when they moved to Fort Collins, Colorado in order to be nearer to their grandchildren. Les and Ruth spent their later years traveling the US in their beloved motorhome, visiting family and enjoying all that the Thousand Trails campgrounds had to offer until his death on July 4, 2014. Ruth loved her family dearly and wanted them to enjoy her many wonderful German recipes. We will all remember her schnitzel, rouladen, and German potato salad. We will also remember her baked goods for her family - the thousands and thousands of cookies she lovingly made. Cooking was her love language. She also was an avid quilter and provided her children, grandchildren and great children with colorful quilts that will be a lasting legacy. In more recent years after having to downsize her living situation, she moved to creating hundreds of placemats that she shared with everyone she worked with and all her family. Ruth died on March 6, 2025, having told her children, many of her grandchildren, and great grandchildren how much she loved them. She has now joined her beloved husband and daughter, Annette, who preceded her in death. She is survived by her daughters, Helga Bacher (Tom Bacher), Kari Van Horn (Erica Johnson), and Janette Heyliger (Paul Heyliger), and her 8 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren as well as many extended family members. She will be interred with Lester at Fort Logan Cemetery in Denver, Colorado. At her request, there will be no funeral service, but you are welcome to view a *memorial video in her honor. Donations may be sent to The Matthews House which works locally with Northern Colorado families to break the cycle of poverty and abuse. https://www.thematthewshouse.org/ You will be prompted for “more information” on the donation page, and you may add “In Memory of Ruth Van Horn.

*Memorial Video Link below

https://www.canva.com/design/DAGhewo9NdA/t0aqIdCAGJjey1kBVDg83A/watch?utm_content=DAGhewo9NdA&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=h9dbe1b8a77