Homer William Horning

With our deepest grief we have to announce the passing of our father
Homer William Horning "Bud" born October 10th, 1950 in Detroit. Died April 13th, 2025 at his home in Bentley, Michigan at the age of 74.
Our Dad was preceded in death by his parents Donald and Mary Horning (McMullen) and we are comforted to know they were there to guide him in his last moments, as their cherished relationship with one another was one of the greatest blessings of his life.
Dad leaves a wake for those who loved him. He was a truly devoted father to his son Jeremy (Sam) Horning and granddaughter Marlow; and his daughter Erin (Scott) Furgeson and granddaughter Isla. He was a beloved brother to Donald, Roberta, Joseph, Andrea and Donna. He leaves his long time love, Kimberly; and his constant companion, Jake. He was fortunate to have a large loving family that colored his life.
Our Dad was a retired Assistant Deputy Warden for the Michigan Department of Corrections, commended on his 25 years of service to the state. He was a graduate of St. Gregory High School (1968) and academically persisted to earn his Bachelor's of Science in Human Services from Lake Superior State College (1980), and a Masters of Science in Professional Accountancy from Walsh College (1992). Also as the lifelong learner he was, obtained a Master Gardener's certificate from Michigan State University.
He found vast appreciation and solace in the outdoors. Spending much of his life blissfully trudging through every crevice of Michigan, and many parts of this country and Canada in the pursuit of game birds, fowl, fish, deer, and all the like; usually guided by his beloved Brittany Spaniels, and loyal friends. As an enthusiastic sportsman and his fondness for this particular breed of dog, lead him to become a member of The North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association for which he was awarded an impressive National Breeders Award for his commitment and loving effort he put into producing the Tolka Belle line, "his" dogs were praised not only as being stellar hunting dogs but also affectionate companions. He placed dogs in 48 states and all throughout Canada. He banded woodcock for the Department of Natural Resources, reporting on their wild populations throughout Michigan. Never satisfied with sitting still, after his retirement from the State of Michigan, the trajectory of his dog breeding and training set him upon breeding quail, and he quickly became Michigan's largest quail breeder.
Our Dad was tenaciously persistent, unabashedly generous, extraordinarily appreciative, unbelievably intelligent, and, I should add in handsome too (he'll love that). He was unofficially a handyman, a beautiful writer, a gardener, a biologist, a traveler, a vet, a surgeon, an encyclopedia, a magnificent story teller, an unquenchable reader, a slave to sweets, a charmer of children, and a master of sarcasm. You could count on three things if you visited Dad; 1.You were going to hear a story about either his kids, his dogs, or his granddaughters (most likely all three) 2. You were going to leave with either food, a cleaning product, or a decongestant (most likely all three). 3. You were going to be late to wherever you headed next because he was delightfully long-winded.
Yet, in all of his life's legendary endeavors, none were so grand as the devotion to his kids. He loves us with his entire soul, he said it, he showed it, and man, we felt it. He showed up for us in all the ways a father should and then showed up some more. He gave us courage and confidence when we couldn't find our own. Unendingly proud of his son and inseparable with his daughter. He was thrilled to be a Papa and was phenomenally good at it. His spirit lit up around Marlow and Isla, evidenced by a recent recording of his off-key but enthusiastic version of "The Itsy Bitsy Spider". We never wanted for anything.
With his enormous, joyful, supportive presence in our lives you can imagine the depth of our grief. Like the quiet after a lively family party, a deafening silence after a life well lived. His death was quick and unexpected, so he was never sick, never incapable, sharp minded and busy until the very end. We have no doubt that he swirls around us now, not even death could keep him away, maybe taking short breaks to explore the universe; but we know, without doubt, he will find us and love us in every lifetime after this one. He taught us so much, most significantly, he showed us the perfect formula with which to love our daughters. As devastated as we are at his loss, we are equally grateful and feel profoundly lucky to have had the Dad we did, in the time we had him. In the end, isn't it a blessing to have a life and love too full, too vast, too grand to summarize.
We will announce a memorial party at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, cards, or donations, we ask that you express your love to those closest to you; and that you leave a message about our Dad, Bud (a story, a word, a photo, anything) for us to reflect on in the future and share with our daughters. We know he crossed so many paths of others, and we're inspired to say thank you for adding threads that led to the tapestry of our Dad's life.