Leo Horn

Leo Horn passed away peacefully on March 8, 2023, in Chandler, Arizona. Born December 27, 1923, on a family farm west of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, he was the eleventh of twelve children. His parents, George and Anna Marie (Kähm) Horn, had emigrated to Canada from an ethnic German village on the Volga in Russia in 1899. They could never have imagined the life Leo would lead! Considered lazy by his family because he preferred reading to physical labor, Leo did office work in Winnipeg before being drafted into the Canadian Armed Forces during World War II. His talent for baseball—all the Horns played on the farm—kept him doing office work in the army, as a bureaucratic company wanted him on their team. He met his wife of 63 years, Emily Isabel Harrison, in 1947; they married in 1950. After Leo graduated from the University of Manitoba in 1951, he began a career in exploration geophysics, and he and Emily spent the next six years traveling western North America on seismic crews for Western Geophysical and later Chevron. The birth of daughter Lorna in 1957 brought Leo back to the office, first in Calgary, Alberta, then in Anchorage, Alaska. When Anchorage was hit by the 1964 Good Friday earthquake, Chevron relocated the Horns to Seattle, Washington, where they adopted daughter Heather in 1965. Leo worked in California from 1966-69, when he was appointed vice-president of Chevron Geophysical in Houston, Texas. Leo left that position in 1981 and finished his career as the manager of Chevron Petroleum in Copenhagen, Denmark, from 1981-83. Much later, Leo joked that if he’d known he would live well into his nineties, he wouldn’t have retired at 59, but Leo and Emily enjoyed many golden years in retirement. They lived in Canyon Lake, Texas, from 1983-94, where Leo was active in the Lions Club and volunteered at Saint Francis by the Lake Episcopal Church and the Canyon Lake Action Center. In 1994, Leo and Emily moved to Sun Lakes, Arizona, and became active members of Saint Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Chandler. In Arizona, they also became hikers and explorers of the desert, and they welcomed frequent visits by far-flung family and friends. To stay at “Club Leo” was always a treat for guests, whether they lounged by the pool or indulged in Leo’s famous breakfasts. Like many of their generation who rose from Depression-era poverty to post-war prosperity, Leo and Emily traveled frequently in North America and around the world. They will be remembered by all who love them for their graciousness, humility, kindness, and generosity. Leo cared for Emily as she faced numerous health challenges during her final years. He even underwent heart-valve replacement surgery at age 88 to ensure that he would be there for her. While his physical body declined during his nineties, Leo’s mind stayed sharp almost to the end, and he endured pain and discomfort with few complaints and much ingenuity. He said that the hardest thing he did every day was getting up and ready in the morning, but he rigged a rope and strap to hoist himself out of bed and always wore crisp dress shirts! Leo is survived by daughter Heather Horn and her partner Joel Hutchinson; daughter Lorna Hill and her husband Ian; grandson Cameron Hill; grandson Brandon Hill and his wife Alia; great-grandchildren Isabelle and Julian Hill; sister- and brother-in-law Heather and Dwight Anderson; sister- and brother-in-law Norma and Don Connick; and many nieces and nephews, their children, and grandchildren. Heather and Lorna would like to thank Heather and Dwight Anderson for their love, care, and support of Leo, the staff of Friendship Village Healthcare Center, and Hospice of the Valley and the staff of Dobson Home. We will celebrate Leo’s 99 years at 10 am, April 15, 2023, Saint Matthew’s Episcopal Church, Chandler. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Hospice of the Valley or to Saint Matthew’s Episcopal Church for its Memory Garden.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.valleyofthesunfuneralhome.com for the Horn family.