Ellen Horner

Ellen is survived by her children, Richard Horner and Debbie Horner; her brother, Larry (Christa) Diamant; and her grandchildren, Shannon Vasi, Robert Vasi and Hailey Vasi.

Ellen was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Dr. Howard Horner, Of Blessed Memory.

Funeral services for Ellen will be held Friday, February 2, 2018, at 2 pm, in the Groman Eden Chapel of Groman Eden Mortuary. Services will be officiated by Rabbi Michael Barclay, and will conclude graveside, in Eden Memorial Park.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Ellen's memory may be made to The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles. www.jewishla.org.

Arrangements are under the direction of Groman Eden Mortuary.

Ellen Horner was born April 10, 1927 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.

Her father, Murray Diamant, owned a department store until they fled with the help of Christian Neighbors after Kristallnacht (night of the Broken Glass), first to Belgium, then Poland, France, Spain, and Portugal, until finally arriving in America.

Once in America, Ellen excelled in school in Newark, New Jersey, and studied at the University of Michigan, where she met her husband, Howard Horner. Howard and his family had fled Vienna, Austria, during the Holocaust. Howard served as a Captain in the Army and Studied Medicine.

Their first date almost came to a screeching halt when Howard almost left because Ellen was not ready. Howard was a meticulous and punctual fellow and Ellen was nervous and kept him waiting because she was still getting ready. Fortunately, Mama Helen dragged him into the house and entertained him until Ellen was ready. Howard would later say he had such a good time with Mama Helen playing Gin Rummy that he stuck around. (Howard and Mama Helen continued to play Gin Rummy together throughout their lifetimes).

Howard’s Medical Practice began in New York and Washington D.C. at Walter Reed. Ellen went with him. Ellen had minored in Chinese at Michigan, and went to work for a small, struggling Chinese Airline. Ellen did literally everything for the airline, from running the office to flying as a flight attendant, to bargaining for credit for petrol to keep the fleet flying.

Ellen had a wonderful marriage, with great family and friends for almost 60 years until her husband Howard’s death, in 2008. She had a full and enriched life with many happy times, yet struggled with many hardships as well. She and Howard lost their first child at birth, and their second child, Carrie, suffered from a debilitating genetic disease, until her unfortunate death at 33.

After they moved to Los Angeles, Ellen and Howard were blessed with two children, Debbie and Ricky. The family lived in Los Angeles, first in a lovely home in Ladera Heights, and later, once they no longer needed such a large home, in a beautiful condominium in Brentwood.

Ellen loved to entertain and travel, both with her husband and family, and with the many groups in which they actively participated. These groups included the Los Angeles Doctor’s Symphony Orchestra, and Howard’s poker group (called NO Rakhmones! – no mercy).

Throughout the years, Ellen and Howard socialized, traveled throughout the world, played bridge, and went to concerts (often at their VIP box at the Hollywood Bowl).

After raising her children, Debbie and Rick, Ellen studied and became a paralegal. She worked as a paralegal for prestigious law firm until she retired.

Yet, Ellen was never idle. She stayed involved doing volunteer work, which she loved. It was always important to her to “give back” to the community. Throughout her life, Ellen actively assisted Temple Beth Am, as well as various charitable groups such as the Jewish Federation, Bet Zedek, and the Skirball Center. She received awards for her service at Bet Zedek.