Ellen Horner

1938 - 2024

HORNER (Hackney), Ellen Catherine

Ellen Catherine Hackney Horner died suddenly on March 3, 2024, at her home in Kennesaw, Georgia.

Ellen was born on September 10, 1938, in Clinchport, Virginia, to Mary Ruth Carter Hackney and John Allen Hackney. She attended Clinchport Elementary School. She then lived with her aunt and uncle, Reba Carter Stone and Bill Stone, for two years while she attended Big Stone Gap High School, where she graduated in 1956. She attended James Madison University for two years, and then attended Radford College, now Radford University, in Virginia, where she graduated in 1960. She married Douglas N. Horner of Big Stone Gap in 1962, and moved with him to Kennesaw, Georgia. She taught elementary school briefly in Virginia and Tennessee, and then taught school for many years in Georgia.

Ellen loved trees and animals and wildlife, and she doted on her dogs and cats. She enjoyed working in her beautiful yard and going to flower shows and garden tours and neighborhood open houses throughout the Atlanta area. She loved inviting friends into her home to socialize or share a good meal or spend some time in Bible study or play Canasta and Rummy Cube and Mexican Train. She was a faithful member of Kennesaw United Methodist Church for decades, and she was motivated by her faith to extend love and kindness to all she knew, regardless of their own beliefs.

Ellen was preceded in death by her parents, John and Mary Ruth, her dear aunt and uncle, Reba and Bill, and many other special aunts, uncles, and cousins. She is survived by her brother, John Allen Hackney Jr. and his wife, Peggy, of Kingsport, Tennessee; and her beloved nephews, John Allen Hackney III and his husband, Pablo Villegas Sosa, of Atlanta, Georgia.

Everyone who knew Ellen remembers her kindness and joy, her generous spirit, and that little touch of flightiness that made her unforgettable. She is sorely missed by her many friends, and especially by her nephews, John and Pablo, who remember her as one of the kindest women they have ever known.

A memorial service will be held at 11 AM on Saturday, March 23, at Kennesaw United Methodist Church. Visitation will begin at 10 AM. A private burial will take place in Virginia at a later date.

In Ellen's memory, donations may be made to charities that provide for children in need, animal welfare, or environmental protection.