Howard Hornburg

Hornburg, Howard Hugh, 78, Born Saturday, 11/22/1941 and passed away
Wednesday, 7/15/2020. He was born in Chicago, Illinois to Elmer and
Margaret(Vickers)Hornburg. He was the second of six children. He is
survived by his loving, dedicated wife of 47 years, Charleen (McCalmont),
sons Peter and Michael, daughter Suzanne Schuh, son-in -law Josiha as
well as one grandson Landon and one on the way (Ryder). He is also
survived by two sisters, Dorothy Jane Hornburg of Aurora, Illinois and
Michelle Cullen (Phil) of Yorkville, Illinois. He is predeceased by his
parents and three brothers.

He was a graduate of Our Lady of Hungary Grade School (Archdiocese of
Chicago, Illinois) and Marmion Military Academy in Aurora, Illinois where
he earned his Diploma. He went on to advance his career at Loras
College receiving a Bachelor of Arts in History, as well as a Master of Arts
in Library Science from Northern Illinois University. He attended Saint
Paul Seminary and studied to be a priest for a semester. However, his
plans changed direction.

During the Vietnam War, Howard proudly served in the United States Army
in the 82nd Airborne Division and the 101st Airborne Division as a
paratrooper from 1966-1968, as well as the 506th and 504th Infantry
Battalion respectively. He spent a summer in training exercises at the
United States Academy, West Point, New York as part of the 504th Infantry
Battalion. He was released with an Honorable Discharge.
In his earlier years, Howard worked as a Bowling Pin Spotter at the Elks
club, Golf Caddie at the Aurora club, Paper Carrier, and Courier and
Factory Worker. He was an Altar Boy at his respective church and was a
blood donor. After his military service, he taught middle school (social
studies) at St Joseph School in Aurora, IL. After receiving his Master
Degree in Library Science, he worked as a librarian at Waukegan, IL High
School.

He relocated to Orlando and worked for the Orange County Library
System for over 28 years, and was in management for several years at
branches including the old Eastland, East Orange, and Southeast branches
in addition to the main location in downtown Orlando. While working in
the library system, he met and married his bride Charleen. He enjoyed
being surrounded by books and sharing his knowledge. He was an avid
reader so he enjoyed the environment. His daughter, Suzanne, picked up
that love of reading as well and is passing it along to his grandson Landon.
Howard enjoyed the beach including long walks in the sand and soaking in
the ocean. He referred to the ocean as “natural medicine” and would
feel mentally refreshed and physically better upon returning home from
the beach. A favorite was Cocoa Beach and the family spent several long
weekends there. At family gatherings, he enjoyed long walks around
the neighborhood with his beloved nephew Chris, with whom he shared a
special bond with.

He compiled photo albums for many, many years that included photos of
his family, friends, newspaper articles, announcements, etc. Since he
was a history buff and majored in the subject, he was passionate about
preserving history. The photo albums (and there are many!) are such a
treasure for the family to have.

Howard was an avid fan of Notre Dame and enjoyed watching the Chicago
Bears as well. If there was a game on tv, he was watching! He also
enjoyed elephants, Metaphysics, Railroads/trains, Ethymology, and
classical music.

He was a proud Roman Catholic and was an active member of St James
Cathedral since 1972. He and Charleen both volunteered as ushers
during masses. Charleen will continue to remain active in the church and
Howard will be by her side in spirit.
Howard always enjoyed a good conversation about a variety of topics,
and was a great source of advisement about life in general. He enjoyed
working on projects around the house, as he liked to keep his mind and
body busy

In this era of electronic communication, he still preferred “old-fashioned
communication” (as he called it) of writing a letter or card and mailing
through the postal service with a stamp. He loved receiving cards and
letters as well and saved them all through the years. Those cards and
letters are also in the scrapbooks, along with unique stamps he collected
over the years.

Howard was so excited and happy when he found out he was going to be a
grandpa again. He enjoyed watching Landon grow and affectionately
referred to him as “my little buddy”. He knew Landon was going to be a
wonderful big brother to Ryder.

A  Memorial Mass will be held Saturday, October 10, 2020 12PM at

St. James Cathedral Catholic Church, 215 N. Orange Avenue, Orlando, FL 32801. In lieu
of flowers, the family is requesting donations be made to Marmion
Military Academy 1000 Butterfield Road, Aurora,IL 60502 or to a charity of
your choosing in Howard’s memory.

Arrangements entrusted to CAREY HAND COLONIAL FUNERAL HOME, 2811 Curry Ford Road, Orlando, FL 32806 407-898-2561 www.careyhandcolonialfh.com