It is with broken hearts we announce the passing of our much loved son Erik John Horvat born August 28th, 1987 passed away April 20th, 2026; Beloved first child of Ivan & Elaine Horvat; amazing protective older brother of Bobby Horvat (Jacque), Danielle Barry (Jake) and Natasha Horvat; the best and most fun Uncle to Austin, Riley, Harmony, Hensleigh, Isaac and Vincent. Erik had a supportive loving family that included his Uncle Ray & Aunt Sandy; Uncle John & Teta Olga (Gerry), Aunt Fiona and cousins Johnny, Jason & Joey Hocevar and Matthew, Brigitte & Alexander MacNeil. Extended family members in the Hamilton area and Cape Breton were also important in his life. Erik was a social person; made friends easily, always took the time to talk to everyone he met; connected with all ages; and was one of the kindest, most polite, caring and empathetic people you could ever meet. He had dreams of being a paramedic and he would have been a great one. He was a loyal friend to many and those friendships from his school days at Corpus Christi and St. Thomas More meant a lot to him. He will be missed by so many, including his best friend Julian. It was always important for Erik to look good, he wouldn't go out without being dressed to perfection, with maybe a bit too much Hugo Boss Cologne, his hair perfectly styled and a pair of his many shoes. He had a smile that could light up a room; but unfortunately that smile hid a lot; troubles with substance abuse that tormented him inside that he fought for many years. We were fortunate to get him into the Ken Brown Recovery Home in Sault Ste Marie last May where he thrived and that gave him 9 glorious months of complete sober living; our family enjoyed the best Christmas ever with Erik and we will always treasure that time. We had never seen him so happy and feeling good about himself. This disease has a lot of power and there is so much to understand and we hope being open about this now helps others to understand those who suffer. We loved Erik unconditionally; we will miss him forever and we don't know how we will be able to go on without him. We can only hope that he is at peace in the arms of his Grandparents John & Paula Horvat and John & Jean MacNeil.

We all love you so much Erik and we know how much you loved us; we are so proud to be your family.

There will be a Funeral Mass for Erik on Wednesday, April 29th at 11am at St Gregory the Great Slovenian Catholic Church, 125 Centennial Parkway North, Hamilton.

If desired, donations to the Ken Brown Recovery Home in Sault Ste Marie or SOAR Community Services in Brantford would be appreciated by our family.

We are so grateful to all the Medical Professionals/Specialists who helped Erik, Nurses and Doctors and others in this field did their best to help.

Special Thanks to our Family Doctor Barbara Bielecki who supported Erik through all the ups and downs; he said she always had his back.

There is much to learn about Substance Abuse and we pray that with more understanding, treatments and support it will get better for those who suffer with this disease.

Rest Dear Son, No More Torture, Be At Peace