Ned B Hornback

Ned B. Hornback, MD (86) of Indianapolis and Naples, Florida passed away suddenly on September 5, 2018. Ned was born 10/3/31 to his parents, Irene and Charles Hornback in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. He graduated from Eau Claire Senior High School in 1949. He attended the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire as a premed student from 1949 to 1952. He entered the University of Wisconsin Medical School in Madison, Wisconsin in the fall of 1953 and graduated in 1956. Following graduation, he interned at Orange County General Hospital in Santa Ana, California. In 1957 he was drafted into the United States Air Force and served at Ellis Air Force Base in Rapid City, South Dakota and Kindley Air Force Base in Bermuda in the Strategic Air Command as a flight surgeon. In 1962 after fulfilling his military commitment, he accepted a residency training position in the Department of Radiology at the Indiana School of Medicine in Indianapolis, Indiana. While in residency he specialized in therapeutic radiology and upon completion of his residency training program, joined the faculty of the Medical School in the Department of Radiology as director of Therapeutic Radiology. When the Department of Radiation Oncology was formed in 1970, Dr. Hornback was appointed the first chairman. During his tenure as chairman, he developed the first residency training program in Radiation Oncology in the state of Indiana and he established the Society of Indiana Radiation Oncology for practicing physicians. His interest in hyperthermia in the treatment of malignancy led him to organize the International Society for Hyperthermia Research. He was also very active in many National Cancer Institute research studies for the treatment women with gynecological malignancies. He was a member of the American Cancer Society and the Marion County Cancer Society - The Little Red Door and was awarded the prestigious Award of the Year for his many hours of service. He authored over 180 scientific articles and published five books in his specialty of Radiation Oncology. Ned traveled extensively throughout the United States, Canada, South America, China, Japan, Europe and Russia, delivering lectures on oncology and hyperthermia in the treatment of cancer.

Ned had many hobbies, which included gardening, woodworking, skiing (in his earlier years), tennis, sailing (he was the first Commodore of the Eagle Creek Sailing Club), fishing, coin collecting, and, in his later years, golf (he was a member of the Country Club of Indianapolis).

Ned was preceded in death by his parents and his brother Rex. He is survived by his wife of 63 years the former Jean Ann Fitzpatrick who he met while interning at Madison General Hospital and by his loving children, Suzanne Marie Hornback Swanson (Jon), Cynthia Jean Hornback LaGrange (Pat), Dr. David Alan Hornback (Kasi), Dr. Julie Ann Hornback Widman (Doug) and Nancy Lynn Hornback Ruggieri (James). He is also survived by 13 grandchildren, John Bradshaw, Christopher LaGrange, Zachary, Greg and Alexis Hornback, Jessica, Abigail and Mark Widman, Robby and Keiji Parkhurst, David Morio Hornback and Tommy Hornback, Isabella Ruggieri and great grandchild Elijah Oskay.

Dr Hornback will be cremated in a hot pizza oven. A visitation will be held at Bethlehem Lutheran Church (526 E 52nd St, Indianapolis) on Sunday, September 16, 2018 from 2 - 5 PM. His memorial service will be held at the church on Monday (9/17) at 10:00 AM. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Bethlehem Lutheran Church.

This obituary was written by Dr. Hornback and, with a few minor adjustments, is presented in its entirety as he wished. Ned was a wonderful and caring man who, with his lovely wife, helped raise his children and grandchildren to love and respect life, but most of all, to enjoy every day and laugh as often as possible. He will be forever missed but never forgotten.