Joseph Lanier Hornsby
Joseph Lanier Hornsby, 74, formerly of Troy, Alabama, died early Friday morning, April 17, 2009, at his home in Tucker, Georgia, surrounded by his family.
Funeral services will be held at Calvary Baptist Church in Troy, Alabama, at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 19, 2009.
Visitation will begin at 1 pm. Graveside services will be held in Tallassee, Alabama, on Monday, April 20, 2009, at 11 a.m.
Joseph Hornsby was born July 21, 1934, in Tallassee, Alabama.
He attended Howard College (now Samford University) in Birmingham, Alabama.
At freshmen orientation, he met Barbara Jeffres whom he married on August 25, 1956.
He graduated from Howard College (now Samford University) in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1957, from the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1959, and with a Master of Social Work from Florida State University in 1968.
In the early 1960s, he was ordained to Christian ministry while serving as the Minister of Education at the Rose City Baptist Church in Portland, Oregon.
He fulfilled his calling through years of Christian social work.
He served as Director of Social Services from 1966 to 1999 at the Alabama Children’s Home in Troy, Alabama, dedicating his life to helping children and families.
He was a long-time member of Calvary Baptist Church in Troy, Alabama.
He was a devoted husband, father, and friend. Family and friends will always remember how he lived out his Christian faith through his honesty, generosity, gentleness, and fairness, as well as his unswerving belief in social and civil justice for all.
He always saw the potential for good in people and believed in the power of God to heal and transform lives.
Joseph Hornsby is survived by his wife, Barbara J. Hornsby; his daughter, Kathryn Hornsby of Tucker, Georgia; his son Steven Hornsby, daughter-in-law Martha Sledge, and granddaughter Louisa Hornsby Sledge of New York; his son David Hornsby, daughter-in-law Melissa Hornsby, and granddaughters Makayla and Lila Hornsby of Lawrenceville, Georgia; his sister Jeanette Landers and husband Austin Landers of Ozark, Alabama; his brother Ben Hornsby and wife Frances Hornsby of Tallassee, Alabama; sister-in-law and brother-in-law Jane and Earl Jeffres of Fayetteville, Tennessee; sister-in-law Margaret Jeffres of New York, as well as numerous nephews, nieces, and other family and friends.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Irene and Jasper Hornsby, and two brothers, Harold and Wayne Hornsby. The family asks that memorials be made to Alabama Baptist Children’s Home and Family Ministries.