He was born on August 26, 1947, in Peoria, IL, to Donald and Dorothy (Roskamp) Hornbaker. He married Nancy Rickena on October 2, 1971, in Glasford.
Surviving are his wife, Nancy; their two children, Angela and Jeremy Hornbaker, all of Peoria; and one brother, Donald Hornbaker of California.
He was preceded in death by his parents and one brother, William Hornbaker.
Jim served in the U.S. Army and worked for Caterpillar, Inc. for 30 years before retiring in 1993. In retirement, he worked as a Teachers Aide at Farmington High School. He was a member of the Glasford Baptist Church, a 50-year member of the Glasford American Legion Post #35 and a member of the U.A.W. Local 974, Lancastor Masonic Lodge #106, the Scottish Rite and Shriners.
Jim was a volunteer at Wildlife Prairie Park and his great joy was being a train engineer. He was also an avid blood donor with the Red Cross, donating over 400 pints, and he also volunteered with the Peoria Park District, Peoria Special Olympics, Tazewell County Civil Defense and the E.S.D.A. and was a H.A.M. Radio operator (KC9FWR). He also enjoyed vacationing in Branson, MO.
A graveside service will be at 1 p.m. Saturday, July 27, 2019, at the Swan Lake Memory Gardens Mausoleum Chapel. Davison-Fulton Woolsey-Wilton Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Memorials may be made to Wildlife Prairie Park. Words of comfort can be shared with the family at www.woolsey-wilton.com.
