Dr. Nathan P. Horner

Laughlin Health Care Center.

Dr. Horner was the only child born to the late Harrison V. and Bessie Burdine Horner. Born May 27, 1917, he was a descendant of pioneer East Tennessee families that settled in the Bent Creek Settlement now known as Whitesburg. He was a descendant of the Rev. Tidence Lane, the first pastor of any congregation of any denomination of the state of Tennessee, organizing the first church body of the state at Buffalo Ridge Baptist Church on Boone’s Creek in Gray. His forefathers, the Horner, Lane and Phillips families, were founding members of the Bent Creek Baptist Church in 1785, now known as First Baptist Church Whitesburg and the Robertson Creek Baptist Church in 1813. The bodies of his third great-grandfather, Rev. Lane, and second great-grandfather, Aquilla Lane, both revolutionary soldiers, are buried on Dr. Horner’s Whitesburg farm.

Dr. Horner was a graduate of Carson Newman College and was a 1942 graduate of University of Tennessee College of Medicine. He entered the U. S. Army Medical Corp in 1943. During World War II, he served with the 611th Clearing Company and the 7th Evacuation Hospital in the South Pacific.

He came to Greeneville in February, 1949, to join Dr. Hal Henard in the practice of Family Medicine. Dr. Horner was honored at a celebration in 1999 recognizing his fifty years of practice in Greene County. He retired in 2003.

He loved his home community and was beloved and honored by all who knew him over the many years.

On June 27, 1953, he married Helen Louise Lancaster of Johnson City.

He was a member of the First Baptist Church where his was a member of the Men’s Bible Class.

Dr. Horner was a member of the Greene County Med Soc., TMA, AMA and a Charter Fellow as well a Life Time Member of the AAFP. He also served 49 years as a board member of the Greene County Bank, now Capital Bank, at one time serving as Board Chairman,

In addition to his wife, he is survived by a son and daughter-in-law, Nathan, Jr. and Virginia Horner; two grandsons, James and Ian Horner, all of New Orleans; two sisters-in-law, Joan Lancaster of New York City and Joan Honeycut Lancaster of Johnson City; a nephew, Lee Lancaster of Nashville and a niece, Jennifer Lancaster of Johnson City; cousins, Earnestine H. Gray and Betty C. Breeding, both of Whitesburg, Bess C. McFarland of Knoxville and Dr. John Burdine of Houston, Texas.

Dr. Horner was preceded in death by a son, James H. Horner who passed away in 1987.

The family will receive friends 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. Wednesday at First Baptist Church. The funeral service will be 11:00 a.m. Thursday also at First Baptist Church. Rev. Dr. David Green will officiate and the eulogy will be given by Rev. Richard Long. Interment will follow at Oak Grove Cemetery.

Pallbearers will be Millard Elkins, Charles Gray, Bobby Horner, C. Ray Adams, Dr. Dale Brown, Jr., Chris Douthat, Ken Hood, Jr., Terry Leonard, Dr. Walter Mason, Dr. Charles Montgomery and Chuck Whitfield.

Honorary pallbearers will be his long-time nurses, Celisa Ryans, Nikkie Guthry, Amy St. John and Amanda Bowman, the West Wing nurses and all the staff of Laughlin Health Care Center, who show such dedicated love, care and compassion for their patients, Craig English and Bob Hurley for their help and friendship, Dr. Rufus Breckenridge, Dr. Andy Roberts, Brenda Hyder and the staff of the Doctor’s Office.

Kiser-Rose Hill Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.