Obituary of Col. Carl Edwin Hornor

Lt. Col. (Ret.) Carl E. Bud Hornor, 84, died Oct. 31, 2008 at Providence St. Peter Hospital in Lacey, WA after a long struggle with pneumonia. Several family members were at his bedside. Bud was born April 19, 1924 in Clarksburg, West Virginia to Charles and Myrtle (Boggs) Hornor. He had one sister and three brothers, all deceased. Bud passed away very peacefully and looked forward to rejoining his beloved wife and lifelong soul mate, Katye. He is survived by his five sons, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Edward G. Hornor of Spokane, WA; Charles A. Hornor of Fountain, CO; Col. (Ret.) John R. Hornor of Anacortes, WA; Dr. Mark R. Hornor of Spokane, WA; Stephen D. Hornor of Conway, AR; and his beloved daughter, Mrs. Kathleen Croffoot of Cupertino, CA. He also leaves fourteen loving grandchildren, six great-grandchildren plus twin great-grandchildren due in April 2009. Bud will be sorely missed by his family and his many friends. Following graduation from high school in 1941, Bud entered the College at Potomac State (West Virginia). During a freshman English placement test, he met a beautiful young woman named Katye. That very night, he went to Katye's dorm, had himself announced as her date (much to her surprise!), and was obviously successful in wooing her since they were married on February 16, 1943. As with many men of Buds generation, the outbreak of World War II changed his life forever. One year and one day after Pearl Harbor, at the age of 18, Bud became an aviation cadet and earned his wings and a 2nd Lieutenant commission by mid 1944. He then transitioned into B-24s and shipped out to Italy, where he flew 23 combat missions by the age of 21. When the war ended, Bud remained in the service of his country, finally retiring after a career of almost 25 years. Bud loved music, camping and fishing. He and his bride, Katye, were avid travelers and visited many, many countries around the world. In fact, they visited every continent except Antarctica. Bud maintained his connection with the Air Force through his membership in the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) and as President and Board Member of chapters in Santa Cruz, CA and Lacey/Olympia, WA. Bud will be honored with a full Military Honors Ceremony at Tahoma National Cemetery, Nov. 28, 2008 at 11:15am. As a resident of the Panorama retirement community and a long time supporter and volunteer with the Panorama Benevolent Fund, Bud requests donations in his memory be sent to the Fund at 1751 Circle Lane SE, Lacey, WA 98503 or to your favorite charity. Please do not send flowers to the cemetery. You are invited to leave your memories of Bud and condolences for the family online by clicking on the "view guestbook" link below.