Lee C. Horn, 66, of Greensboro died Monday, April 12, 2010, while on a cruise in the Caribbean after a year-long battle with cancer.
Mr. Horn was born July 15, 1943, in Atlanta , Georgia , a son of William A. Horn Sr. and Ona C. Horn. He was a graduate of Henry Grady High School and Georgia State University in Atlanta , Georgia . He married Malda Perry on June 26, 1992, in Herndon , Virginia . A lifetime career in insurance and finance carried him from Atlanta to Chicago, Keene, New Hampshire, Washington, D.C., and finally to Galveston, Texas. He and his wife dreamed of a retirement sanctuary in Vermont and were able to enjoy the beauty of the Northeast Kingdom for almost two years before he died. Mr. Horn loved music — all kinds, but especially blues and jazz. He played guitar and in college had his own band which played back-up to such greats as B.B. King, Mac Davis, and Chubby Checker. He also enjoyed reading, camping, traveling and gardening. He loved playing practical jokes and found humor in life each day, sharing his dry wit with others.
He was a loving caregiver for his mother and mother-in-law in earlier years and, in retirement, continued his compassion for others by volunteering for Meals on Wheels, driving residents to doctors’ appointments and serving on the board of trustees for the Craftsbury Community Care Center . Survivors include his wife, Malda, of Greensboro; five sons: Richard Godwin of Burlington, Iowa, Ronald, Kenneth and Matthew of Denver, Colorado, and Bradford and his wife, Carmen, of Atlanta; step-daughter Dianne Stoehr and her husband, Dan, of Tacoma, Washington; stepsons Douglas Perry and his wife, Tina, of Southlake, Texas, and David Perry and his wife, Zoie, of Longview, Texas; step-son-in-law Bryan Venable of Stafford, Virginia; a brother, William Horn and his wife, Anna, of Norcross, Georgia; birth father Lee Gillespie and his wife, Teeny, of Gainsville, Georgia; half-sister Gail Turner and her husband, Bill, of Gainsville; half-brother Richard Gillespie of Cumming, Georgia; brother-in-law John von Steinbergs of Minnetonka, Minnesota; and 18 grandchildren. Mr. Horn was predeceased by his father, William A. Horn, and step-daughter Deborah Venable. His mother, Ona Horn, died four days after his death.
Lee and I grew up across the street from each other on E Rock Springs Rd in Morningside from 1st grade to Grady graduation. We rode bikes, explored the creek at the bottom of the hill, captured lightening bugs in Mason jars, put on plays for our parents (and occasionally enlisted the help of our little brothers Tommy (mine) and Billy (his) ). We camped out on the backyard, cried over dogs that got run over on our busy street, played capture the flag in the neighborhood and tackle football in my front yard with Richard and Steven Orenstein and Bruce and Milton Finklestein, did Gray-Y sports at Morningside, and did street-crossing Patrol duty at the corner of Rock Springs and Highland Ave in the 7th grade.
We car pooled to Grady with my father in his Morris Minor (which I got the use of when I turned 16). He was a tackle on the 8th grade football team, I was a 92-pound last-string guard. While we were both in the Shields social club, his interests turned to cars and music and mine to the Morris Minor, sacking groceries, and wrestling and we didn't interact too much.
After high school we saw little of each other. After college and the Army, I stayed in Atlanta while his work took him to Texas, New Hampshire and Vermont among other places. However, our mothers both became residents of the same retirement home in Atlanta and we got to visit a good bit when he and Malda came down from the northeast to visit his Mom.
It's been ten years since he passed away. I wish I had written this then.
John Stephens
Lee and I grew up across the street from each other on E Rock Springs Rd in Morningside from 1st grade to Grady graduation. We rode bikes, explored the creek at the bottom of the hill, captured lightening bugs in Mason jars, put on plays for our parents (and occasionally enlisted the help of our little brothers Tommy (mine) and Billy (his) ). We camped out on the backyard, cried over dogs that got run over on our busy street, played capture the flag in the neighborhood and tackle football in my front yard with Richard and Steven Orenstein and Bruce and Milton Finklestein, did Gray-Y sports at Morningside, and did street-crossing Patrol duty at the corner of Rock Springs and Highland Ave in the 7th grade.
We car pooled to Grady with my father in his Morris Minor (which I got the use of when I turned 16). He was a tackle on the 8th grade football team, I was a 92-pound last-string guard. While we were both in the Shields social club, his interests turned to cars and music and mine to the Morris Minor, sacking groceries, and wrestling and we didn't interact too much.
After high school we saw little of each other. After college and the Army, I stayed in Atlanta while his work took him to Texas, New Hampshire and Vermont among other places. However, our mothers both became residents of the same retirement home in Atlanta and we got to visit a good bit when he and Malda came down from the northeast to visit his Mom.
It's been ten years since he passed away. I wish I had written this then.
John Stephens 4/21/2020