Mary Alice "Mickey" Horner

Mary Alice (Mickey) Horner (nee Miller) loving wife, mother, grandmother and life-long dedicated volunteer passed away on October 17th, 2019, at the age of 90.  She is survived by her daughter Marilyn Knox and son-in-law John Knox, her son John Horner III, her grandchildren Peter and Jason Knox and their respective spouses, Andrea and Sarah, and her great grandchildren Riley and Samuel Knox.

Mary Alice was born in Cadiz, Ohio, in 1929.  She graduated from The Ohio State University in 1951 with a BS in Business Administration.  She moved to Cleveland, where she rented an apartment with three other young women and worked for the Glidden Company and Case Western Reserve University as an Assistant to the Registrar.  At Plymouth Church she met her future husband and partner for life, John (Jack) A Horner Jr, whom she married in 1955 and they built an amazing life together.  As Jack coached the football players, Mary Alice would stand atop the announcer’s booth in the cold and snow filming their games.  Together they were a team – loving the game and wanting the best for their students.

Mary Alice was known as an enthusiastic volunteer who would assume leadership positions with civic organizations without ever seeking the spotlight but instead only with a desire to serve the organization and its members.  She was Trustee and Membership Chairman of the Shaker Historical Society; President of the Women’s Committee of the Shaker Historical Society; Treasurer of the Moses Cleveland Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution; Secretary and Treasurer of the Ohio Society Sons of the American Revolution Ladies Auxiliary; Treasurer & Volunteer Chairman of the Friends’ Committee of the Shaker Lakes Regional Nature Center; Historian of the Village Garden Club; and for decades volunteered in the office, delivered flowers, and served the congregation of Plymouth Church of Shaker Heights.

Following the death of her husband in 2012, Mary Alice moved from their home in Shaker Heights to South Franklin Circle in Chagrin Falls and easily made countless new friends among the residents there.  For her entire life she was a proud member of the sorority Alpha Xi Delta and would passionately cheer for The OSU Buckeyes football team, displaying the OSU flag after each championship game on her porch.

Mary Alice Horner loved her husband and their family.  Together they traveled the world – seeing joy in the diversity of cultures that share this planet.  She was a passionate supporter of animal and environmental causes and took great pride in her efforts to stop a highway project that threatened the habitat of the Shaker Lakes area.  As a teenager she attended Interlochen music camp and was a supporter of the Musical and Stage Arts her entire life.

Mary Alice loved her husband, children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren deeply.  At 90 years old, she looked forward to regular video calls from her grandchildren. She embraced technology and had an unending faith that people are good and that the world was a wonderful and remarkable place.   Her departure will not only be felt by her children and grandchildren who love her immensely, but also by generations of students who knew her as ‘auntie’ and by so many who came to know her through her quiet dedication and humble service to others.

In Lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in her memory to one of her favorite organizations:  The Cleveland Animal Protective League (1729 Willey Ave, Cleveland, OH 44113 - https://clevelandapl.org/donate/) or COAR Peace Mission orphanage (28700 Euclid Ave, Wickliffe, OH 44092 - https://coarpeacemission.org/donations-page/).

A Memorial Service will be held Saturday, October 26th at 11 AM  in Plymouth Church of Shaker Heights, 2860 Coventry Rd., Shaker Hts., OH 44120.  FRIENDS MAY CALL AT BROWN-FORWARD 17022 CHAGRIN BLVD., SHAKER HTS., OH FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25TH FROM 4-6 PM.  Interment Baltimore, MD.