Robert Henry Horning, Jr.

Robert Henry Horning, Jr., more commonly known as Bob, passed away peacefully at home on July 9, 2021. He was born on September 25, 1930, in Elizabeth, NJ, to Robert Henry Horning, Sr. and Virginia James Horning.

After graduating from the Pingry School, he attended Lehigh University. A lifelong athlete, he captained the baseball and basketball teams, ran track, and was a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity. Bob graduated from Lehigh in 1952 with a BS in Mechanical Engineering.

Following graduation, Bob was drafted into the U.S. Army, was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant, and received his aviation training at Ft. Rucker, AL. A naturally adept aviator, he was quickly assigned to Korea, where he flew both fixed wing and helicopters near and around the DMZ. While transporting a General monitoring the cease-fire, his helicopter had a mechanical failure mid-flight. After successfully performing a dead stick landing, the General was transferred to another waiting helicopter, and Bob went back to his own, fixed it, and was able to safely return to base. The General told him later that evening that that was the best ride he had ever been on. Bob was promoted to First Lieutenant prior to leaving the service.

Following his discharge, Bob joined the General Electric Company marketing department in Louisville, KY, where he ascended to Vice President of the appliance division. His duties for GE necessitated frequent travel to New York City. During one of those American Airlines flights, he met and struck up a conversation with a flight attendant, Joan Hoffmann. Their love for each other was immediate, and within a few months, on September 11, 1959, they married in Dallas, TX, and began their family in Louisville.

As Bob’s responsibilities with GE grew, he and his family were relocated to Hartford, CT, and then to Sydney, Australia for 4 years. During their time in Australia, Bob took his family to Hawaii, Tahiti, Fiji, New Zealand, Thailand, Africa, Greece, Italy, Spain, and England…and a little unplanned stop in Pakistan due to engine trouble on the flight from Perth to Greece. He returned to Louisville in 1969 and then moved to Southport, CT in 1975. Upon his semi-retirement, he and his wife built a home on Spring Island, SC, in 1994. They relocated to Wilmington, NC in 2013 to be closer to their two daughters.

Bob was a devastatingly handsome, loving man and a man of impeccable honor and integrity. He was awarded the distinction of Kentucky Colonel in 1974. The commission of Kentucky Colonel is the highest title of honor bestowed by the Governor of Kentucky, in recognition of an individual’s noteworthy accomplishments and outstanding service to the community, state, and nation.

While he was a devoted husband and father, everyone who knew him, knew that golf was his passion. For most of his life, he was a single digit with an easy swing and pinpoint accuracy. He was a proud member of Big Springs Country Club, Country Club of Fairfield, Spring Island Club, and finally, Country Club of Landfall. He never missed an opportunity to play golf when he travelled around the world, and considered playing at St Andrews Links in Scotland as a highlight of his love for the sport.

After the loss of his wife Joan in 2015, Bob reconnected with a long-time friend, Marilyn McCoy Smith, of Boynton Beach, FL, and Boston, MA. They fell happily in love and married on December 29, 2017. It was because of Marilyn’s selfless and unending support of Bob in his final months that he was able to pass with peace and grace, and his entire family are eternally grateful for having her in both his, and their lives.

In addition to his wife Marilyn, her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, Bob is survived by his children, Avery Wilmeth, and Kate and Mark Spencer, both of Wilmington, as well as his two grandchildren, John Robert Spencer of Charleston, SC, and Emma Spencer of Dallas, TX.

Services will be private. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his name to Lower Cape Fear Hospice.

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