Bill Text: VA HJR654 | 2017 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Celebrating the life of William Thomas Horner.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2017-01-20 - Bill text as passed House and Senate (HJ654ER) [HJR654 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2017-HJR654-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, William Thomas Horner of Richmond, who devoted his life to advocating on behalf of disabled children and adults and was a beloved resident of The Hermitage, died on October 30, 2016; and
WHEREAS, William "Bill" Thomas Horner was a graduate of North Carolina Wesleyan University and did graduate work at Old Dominion University; and
WHEREAS, for 50 years, Bill Horner was an advocate for the care of and equal education opportunities for intellectually disabled children and adults; and
WHEREAS, Bill Horner was a board member of Heart Havens, a Richmond-based nonprofit organization that provides residential support for disabled adults and empowers those with a developmental disability to live full and vibrant lives with as much independence as possible; and
WHEREAS, Bill Horner was an esteemed member of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Richmond, where he served in various leadership capacities, taught classes, and organized activities; and
WHEREAS, after a 2010 accident left him without the use of his limbs, Bill Horner became a resident of The Hermitage, a continuing care retirement community in Richmond, where he was a master gardener and dispenser of art, poetry, and lively conversation; and
WHEREAS, Bill Horner was well read and enjoyed making conversation with most everyone he met; he loved reading and distributing the poetry of Mary Oliver, Wendell Berry, Billy Collins, and other poets to the staff and residents at The Hermitage, where he was a very devoted resident; and
WHEREAS, Bill Horner was a lover of nature and the outdoors; he loved hiking mountain trails, sitting by a cabin fire, and telling and listening to people's stories; and
WHEREAS, Bill Horner's energy and smiling presence were contagious; his love for his fellow man was evident in his devotion to his friends, his attentive listening, and his joyful joke making; and
WHEREAS, Bill Horner will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his sons, Scott and Mark; his special friend, Linda Holt Armstrong; and many loving family members and friends, especially from his church and The Hermitage community; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of William Thomas Horner, an advocate for disabled children and adults and a beloved resident of The Hermitage; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of William Thomas Horner as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for his memory.
